Hundreds of Indian students stranded in Australia

Hundreds of Indian students studying in Australia have been left in the lurch, with the sudden collapse of the Global Campus Management Group closing down four colleges in Sydney and Melbourne on Thursday.

The collapse has particularly come as a major blow for the Australian government, which has been working hard to rebuild the image of the country's education scenario. The Department of Immigration had placed hundreds of Sydney-based students in the school after their previous school, Global College, went broke last year, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The future looks uncertain for 500 students enrolled in English language, design and commercial cookery, most of whom are hoping to secure permanent residency after completing their courses.

"I made the biggest mistake by coming to study in Australia. The quality of education here is bad. We have nothing but the media to rely on now," Karun Sachdeva, 24, said, adding that he did not know whether he would be refunded the $2500 he had paid for the next semester.

On Thursday afternoon, teachers at the Meridian International Hotel School were called for a meeting and informed that they had lost their jobs.

"They said they do not have enough funds to pay us and we would have to leave straight away," Terrence D'Souza, who taught commercial cookery there, said.

Ten private colleges catering to international students have been closed down this year in Australia.

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority said the immediate priority was to ensure that students who were doing VCE exams experienced no disruption.

"The VRQA has sent senior staff to the secondary school today to ensure that all VCE examination papers are secured and that students are properly briefed on the situation," Director Lynn Glover said.

Australian Education Minister Julia Gillard on Thursday said the government took the reputation of the Australian $16 billion industry 'very seriously' and was reviewing the laws that governed it.