Welcomes Newly Arrived Indian Students to Victoria!
Melbourne, July 17, 2011
Over 150 participants attended two workshops held in Melbourne by COSRA (Committee for Student Related Activities) on July 16. The two workshops covered a wide range of topics that are key to Indian students for successful participation in the Australian society and having positive and productive experiences in Australia.
The COSRA workshops covered important matters like adapting to Australian culture and norms of behaviour, accommodation, employment, occupational health and safety, community life and the positive role of Victoria Police. COSRA also provides support and guidance to students as a point of last resort
"Australia offers a world class education system for Indian students. It has excellent facilities and staff and promotes innovative, creative and independent thinking. It is therefore not surprising that 5 Australian universities are in the very select group of Top 50 universities of the world. Moreover, Australia offers a uniquely pleasant life style and an open welcoming society", said Ravi Bhatia, Coordinator of COSRA. "I would very much encourage Indian students to select Australia as their top choice for higher education".
"The CORSA program is the very first initiative of its type by the Indian Diaspora worldwide and it is to be lauded and strongly encouraged. I am certain that COSRA will go from strength to strength," said Dr. Behera, Consul General of India in Melbourne.
Ravi Bhatia thanked Rakesh Kawra, the Vice Counsel for India in Melbourne for his enormous support for the initiative and countless hours of personal time devoted to helping the COSRA team to develop the programme.
COSRA has been established by a group of dedicated Indian- Australians with a wide range of expertise and track record in community service in association with Consulate General of India in Melbourne. The team includes an excellent group of dedicated people with expertise and experience in various aspects of COSRA's objectives and activities. The COSRA team members are Rakesh Kawra (the Vice Counsel General), Ravi Bhatia (Coordinator), Jeet Soni, Prabhakar Agraja, Manjula O'Connor, Madhu Bhatia, Intaj Khan, Suman Chaudhary, Hemant Amin, Rajiv Chaudhary and Naishadh Gadani. In addition, there is a large group of volunteer doctors, lawyers and other highly skilled professionals.
The COSRA workshops were supported by a number of universities and VET educational institutions including the University of Melbourne, Monash University, RMIT, Swinburne University, Western Institute of Technology, Berkley College, Kaps Institute and Victoria Police. Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank, ANZ Bank and Charles Elena Design provided sponsorships for the workshops.
For further information, please contact:
Ravi Bhatia, email Ravi@cosra.org.au
Rakesh Kawra, email CGO@cgimelb.org
