KL students disagree with PM

KL students disagree with PM

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP): Malaysia topped the table of foreign students in Australian full-time tertiary education last year, despite an attack on Australia's education system by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, official data shows.

Almost 10,000 Malaysians were in full-time study at universities and colleges in Australia during the year -- 35 percent more than the next most numerous, the Singaporeans with almost 7,400, followed by 6,200 Indonesians.

The 46,500 full and part-time students from South-East Asian countries far outnumbered the next most numerous regional group, those from North-East Asia, mainly China and Hong Kong, with 25,600.

In a mocking attack on Australia's education system and its multicultural record, Mahathir told a weekend conference that Chinese in Australia had to learn to speak English with an Australian accent.