Making study materials free could potentially allow students to take multiple units from different universities. It would also make higher education much more accessible.
Erin Siostrom, University of the Sunshine Coast; Reece Mills, Queensland University of Technology, and Theresa Bourke, Queensland University of Technology
Research shows plenty of people think about becoming teachers. We also know mid-career teachers’ expectations don’t match reality once they make it to the classroom.
Decades of research shows how the higher education system has failed to give Australians a “fair go”. How can we move from good intentions to long-overdue change?
Kylie Hillman, Australian Council for Educational Research
A major international test has found about 80% of students have “more than elementary” skills in reading comprehension. This is the same result Australian students recorded in 2016.
It can be argued universities also have a moral obligation to educate students about how course fees are charged and then repaid when they start working.
The 2023 budget includes $40 million to improve school attendance in Central Australia. It also includes more than $38 million for “culturally appropriate” education for Indigenous students.
The federal government-commissioned “Footprints in Time” study also found teachers say they do not have adequate training to value and teach Indigenous cultures.
Our higher education system has served Australia well over the past 30 years. But it is not fit for the rapid pace of change the world will be see over the coming decades.