The untiring and persistent efforts made by the Education Minister, Punjab, Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema in taking up the issue of non-issuance of visas to students passing 10+2 examination from Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) with Australian High Commission have finally borne fruit. It is pertinent to mention here that after media reports regarding refusal by Australian authorities of visas to students passing 10+2 from PSEB, Dr. Cheema took strong notice of the issue and plunged headlong to resolve it successfully. The Australian Government has also clarified that A Visa Application has not and will not be refused on the basis of a qualification from PSEB.Disclosing this, a spokesman of the Education Department said that the Education and Training Department of Australian Government has written to the Chairperson of PSEB Dr. Tejinder Kaur Dhaliwal making it crystal clear that neither in the previous time had any visa been refused with regard to the students obtaining educational qualifications from the PSEB nor in the coming time would such an action be undertaken.
The Australian Government has also clarified that under the GENUINE TEMPORARY ENTRANT (G.T.E.) requirement, findings are note made on the basis of one factor alone and each application is assessed on its individual merits.The spokesman further elaborated that official of the Education and Training Department of Australia, Ms. Elizabeth Campbell Dorning had cleared the air about the issue to the PSEB Chairprson Dr. Dhaliwal in response to the letter dated 12 April written by the PSEB to the Australian Government on this sensitive issue.The spokesman also divulged that Dr. Cheema had seriously taken the issue from the word go and discussed all its aspects threadbare in a meeting of the senior officers of the department convened recently. During the meeting, it was decided by the department to take it up with the Australian High Commission besides Union Human Resources Development Ministry because the issue was directly connected to the future of a vast number of the students.