Masing (seated, eighth left) joins his host Chan, Fu (seated seventh and ninth left, respectively) and other guests in a special photo-call where they all gesture to wish everybody ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’.
KUCHING: Australia remains the preferred destination for Sarawakians to send their children for higher education, despite the current slowdown in the economy.
According to Australian Business Centre (ABC) director Rodger Chan, the high currency exchange rates do present a challenge for many young Sarawakians to go studying in Australia.
Nevertheless, many still want to go to Australia. Perhaps, this is attributable to our (Australia-Sarawak) historical ties, the geographical proximity, excellent track records in education, the production of good graduates from Australia and maybe many feel quite comfortable to have their children studying there,” he told reporters at his Chinese New Year open house here on Saturday.
Chan believed that many parents nowadays would not mind investing more on education for their children, even during bad economic times.
“For a lot of parents, education for their children remains a priority.
“Their budgets might be tight, but education is still number one; when it comes to sending their children to study overseas, many choose Australia,” he said.
Earlier, Chan entertained a group from Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) led by its president Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, as well as China Consul-General in Kuching Fu Jijun and his entourage.