OECD figures show public benefits more than individuals from tertiary education
The Australian public, not individuals, gains most from higher education but students shoulder most of the cost, according to international figures that undermine the government’s claim that students...
View ArticleNATSEM: UWA model would lift uni debt for women, disadvantaged
The University of Western Australia recently announced its proposed post-deregulation price structure. UWA’s new fee is a flat fee of A$16,000 per year for undergraduate courses, which is significantly...
View ArticleE-homework is widening the gap for disadvantaged students
More and more teachers are turning to technology when assigning homework. But while e-homework can make out-of-class learning more fun and interactive, research suggests that it might further...
View ArticleNon-Go8 university leaders seek changes to higher education bill
Leaders of Australia’s middle-tier and regional universities are concerned that the government’s proposed higher education package will hurt their brand and their students. At a conference in Melbourne...
View ArticleCriticise if you must, the NAPLAN tests are valuable for teachers
Since NAPLAN, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy began in 2008, everyone and their dog has criticised the process. Detractors say teachers are forced to teach to the test, it pits...
View ArticleWhy cash incentives aren’t a good idea in education
If there is one iron law of economics it is this: people respond to incentives. Offer an “all you can eat” buffet and people eat a lot. Double the demerit points for speeding on a holiday weekend and...
View ArticleKeeping kids in school is not as simple as carrots and sticks
The OECD’s 2009 Jobs for Youth report, released on the heels of the global financial crisis, made a number of policy recommendations to the Australian government to prevent a rise in youth...
View ArticleMaximising ATARs: why studying maths doesn’t add up
The percentage of students taking intermediate or advanced mathematics at school has declined significantly. Why is this happening and why does it matter?
View ArticlePyne Loophole Means Whitehouse May Escape Federal Scholarship Scheme
The Abbotts got a $60,000 secret scholarship, and the college that gave it may escape having to contribute to a public scholarship scheme.
View ArticleHigher education open to scrutiny?
If Minister Pyne succeeds with plans to uncap fees for Commonwealth supported students, Australian public universities will need to set the price for their major undergraduate degree offerings for the...
View ArticleWill Australia learn from NZ’s mistakes in higher education?
Since 1990 New Zealand has introduced many dramatic “reforms” into its higher education system, many of them well in advance of Australia. A number of these “reforms” have been unwound after nasty,...
View ArticlePyne’s plan isn’t the way to protectour unis from ‘mediocrity’
The rise and rise of Australian universities in the THE World University Rankings is indeed a good news story. Eight Australian institutions ranked in the top 200, and five in the top 100; that’s quite...
View ArticleTony Abbott unveils plan for businesses to help fund schools
Australian businesses may help fund and run new technical schools as part of an innovation plan, while industry-led growth centres will assist companies to become more competitive. The Abbott...
View ArticlePyne needs evidence to build a case to change the curriculum
Christopher Pyne’s curriculum review wants more focus on the west but provides little evidence that this area is being ignored
View ArticleThere’s more to education than spelling and numbers
Headlines in newspapers on Monday morning said much of the curriculum review has been welcomed across Australia. The removal of the four “general capabilities” from the curriculum is a travesty many...
View ArticleCurriculum review filled with contradictions
A close reading of Dr Kevin Donnelly and Professor Ken Wiltshire’s review of the Australian Curriculum reveals contradictory messages regarding the future curriculum for primary and secondary schools....
View ArticlePyne hoping to win PUP support for fee deregulation with scholarship promise
The education minister, Christopher Pyne, is seeking to persuade Clive Palmer to support university fee deregulation by arguing that an associated scholarship scheme will ensure thousands of...
View ArticleThe Battle To Save Our Universities Is Now
Speak now on university de-regulation, or forever hold your peace and your debt. Nick Riemer explains.
View ArticleWhat are scholarships for?
The University of Sydney’s Vice-Chancellor, Michael Spence, presumably achieved his political aim by announcing that his university could offer scholarships to almost a third of its students if fees...
View ArticleNapthine Liberals betray Education by increasing funding of religious...
IN Victoria, the Napthine Liberals’ decision to increase funding of ACCESS Ministries to $2 million from $135,000 ignores growing concerns about religious proselytising in government schools, according...
View ArticleVictorian Rorts Reveal The Danger Of University Deregulation
Pyne’s higher education legislation would see millions of dollars opened to private providers. When it happened in Victoria’s VET system the consequences were dire.
View ArticleWhy tech schools won’t seem to go away
When Prime Minister Abbott went to the United States in June this year, he visited a P-Tech High school in Brooklyn. He said such schools were a “valuable education model for us to consider in...
View ArticleCoalition’s scholarships to be offered ‘only with extra fee increases’
A new scholarship scheme promoted by the Abbott government will be peer-sourced and not all universities will be able to set aside funds for the purpose, a vice-chancellor has said. Prof Jan Thomas,...
View ArticleBuying essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic
The essay, as the primary form of assessment, should be dead. This is the kind of comment that terrifies academics everywhere – but it is an idea that I think we all need to consider. The “news” that...
View ArticleWhy the higher education reforms need to be independently overseen
The proposed changes to higher education, including the deregulation of fees, while offering potentially significant benefits, also carry significant social and economic risks. Should the bill pass in...
View ArticleSenate Inquiry Into Vocational Education Could Shake Up Coalition’s...
The Greens and Labor are concerned about private VET providers misusing public funding, and they’re warning Pyne’s university changes could make things worse.
View ArticleVote To Establish VET Inquiry Delayed
An inquiry that will shine a light on private education and training providers is expected to be voted on next week.
View ArticlePyne’s Numbers Just Don’t Add Up
When you actually do the maths, Christopher Pyne’s plan for the ‘Americanisation’ of Australian universities looks as shaky as it is expensive.
View ArticleWhere to start with the uni deregulation mess?
Let me say what other vice-chancellor’s haven’t: the deregulation of university fees is about ideology, not budget savings, and it will only hurt students.
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