By Darin Ritchie
The current election campaign has seen few new ideas from either the Government or Opposition in the area of higher education. And while a lot of change has occurred in the sector over the last three years to improve equity access and the number of available places, we must be mindful that other countries are implementing their own initiatives that pose a threat to Australia’s ability to have an internationally competitive workforce in the decades ahead.
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Education | Tagged: Australia, Darin Ritchie, Education, TAFE, university | 
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By Chris James
A new safety campaign aimed at international students studying in Australia is designed to ensure cities like Melbourne continue to be an attractive destination for people seeking to further their studies.
1 Comment | Education | Tagged: Australia, Chris James, Indian students, international students, Melbourne | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
Despite threats from the Australian Education Union, and the unethical behaviour of some teachers, this year’s NAPLAN tests went ahead successfully. These results will be critical to updating school performance information on the My School website, which ensures greater transparency and accountability of how teachers, schools and local communities are meeting the language, literacy and numeracy skill development needs of students.
Leave a Comment » | Education, Uncategorized | Tagged: Australian Education Union, Darin Ritchie, Education, Julia Gillard, My School, NAPLAN | Permalink
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By Alexandra Marriott & Chris James
After lines were drawn in the sand by the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) over the NAPLAN tests, it has been reported that the AEU’s proposed boycott of the numeracy and literacy tests has been dropped following a meeting with Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard.
Gillard has made numerous public statements insisting upon the value of the NAPLAN tests, and ensuring that they are undertaken by students regardless of proposed boycotts. However, the AEU decided to cancel industrial action after federal Education Minister Julia Gillard this morning promised to involve the union in discussions about the website and set up a committee of educational experts to make sure the exam results are used properly.
If the boycott had gone ahead as planned, it would have raised many broader industrial implications.
What do you think about this the NAPLAN tests and the AEU’s proposed boycott? Cast your vote in our online poll!
1 Comment | Education, Your Say | Tagged: AEU, Alexandra Marriott, Australian Education Union, Chris James, Education, Fair Work Act, Fair Work Australia, NAPLAN, Victoria, Your Say | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
The latest VECCI poll shows that, overwhelmingly, employers believe that school leavers have poor literacy skills, while a majority believe that numeracy skills are poor as well. Of further concern is that one in five do not believe the Australian Government’s National Curriculum will make any difference.
5 Comments | Education, Skills, Workplace, Your Say | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, Victoria, Workplace, Your Say | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
In response to concerns about the standards of literacy and numeracy in our schools, the Australian Government recently released its draft national curriculum for kindergarten through to Year 10 in the subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and History.
How do you rate the skills of school leavers? Take our poll to have your say!
7 Comments | Education, Your Say | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, Your Say | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
Hot on the heels of the My School website’s launch comes the announcement of plans for a similar site comparing universities.
Dubbed “My University”, the website aims to put the reputation of Australia’s universities under the microscope to assist students make an informed decision in regards to their tertiary education.
But such a plan may prove much more complex to implement than the My School project – as university rankings are conducted by a range of national and international organisations.
Leave a Comment » | Education | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, My School, university | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
Recent Federal Government pressure on private colleges to “shape up” has resulted in the closure of several local colleges.
But despite the crackdown from government, The Australian reports that the number of private colleges have surged by 20 percent – leading some to warn that regulators will be unable to cope with the rapid expansion of this sector.
Leave a Comment » | Education | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, Melbourne, Victoria | Permalink
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By The Editor
While countless students embark on their journey through tertiary education this year, there are many others who are stuck at the starting line due to a bureaucratic tug-of-war over student income support.
According to The Age:
Leave a Comment » | Education, Quick Quotes | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, The Editor | Permalink
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By Darin Ritchie
The Australian has reported that the number of Australians in tertiary education has hit an equal record 2.4 million – leading some experts to suggest that the rising demographic will increase the political importance of issues relating to tertiary education.
However, we believe that this is an issue that must be considered within a much wider context – taking into account other influential factors.
Leave a Comment » | Education | Tagged: Darin Ritchie, Education, university | Permalink
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