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Experts say early childhood experiences with maths are critical for uptake at later stages. Judy Baxter

Study finds more girls opting out of maths and science

Girls are losing ground in mathematics and science education in NSW, with the number of female students studying no maths for their HSC more than doubling in ten years, according to a new report from the…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants to close the equity gap in in Australian education. AAP/Alan Porritt

Australia closing equity gap, but education performance slipping: OECD

Australia has managed to improve equity in education, but that hasn’t stopped it slipping on performance according to new research from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would find it hard to give up the nuclear program, even if he wanted to, experts said. EPA/KCNA

North Korea nuclear test: the experts respond

North Korea is suspected of conducting their biggest nuclear weapon test yet, after a 4.9 magnitude seismic reading was recorded in an area that is not prone to earthquakes. The North Korean regime is…
In one of her last acts as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw her support behind a project that makes US text books available free to Arabic-speaking students. EPA/MICHAEL REYNOLDS

US backs push for open access text books in Arabic

The United States has backed a project that aims to translate American textbooks into Arabic and make them available without copyrights restrictions to educators and students in the Middle East. The Open…
Google has won a High Court case in which the ACCC alleged it engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct. AAP/John G. Mabanglo

Google triumph over ACCC seen as a loss for consumers

Google has triumphed in a High Court case with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, in what experts say is a setback for the competition regulator and a loss for consumers. The ACCC had…
Entrepreneur Graham Tuckwell has donated $50 million to ANU to help give scholarship students the life-transforming experience he received at university. AAP/Lukas Coch

ANU launches $50m scholarship program with donation from Graham Tuckwell

Australian National University has received $50 million for scholarships from entrepreneur and philanthropist Graham Tuckwell and his wife Louise. The donation is the largest ever by an Australian citizen…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard leaves a media conference with Nicola Roxon (left) and Senator Chris Evans in Canberra, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 Ms Roxon and Senator Evans have resigned their portfolios. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Universities welcome Bowen to higher education role

Two senior ministers in the Gillard government resigned today, prompting an unexpected cabinet reshuffle just eight months out from the general election. Nicola Roxon resigned her role as Attorney-General…
Embattled federal MP Craig Thomson has been granted bail after being charged with fraud. AAP Image/Quentin Jones

What next in the Craig Thomson case?

The Craig Thomson case will take over a year to work its way through the Victorian courts and is unlikely to result in the fall of the Gillard government before the September election, experts said today…
Researchers have welcomed Tony Abbott’s commitment to protect health and medical research funding from budget cuts. AAP/David Crosling

Research sector welcomes the election but wants a focus on productivity

Universities and researchers have broadly welcomed yesterday’s surprise election date announcement, with Universities Australia chief Belinda Robinson saying it was in the national interest to have greater…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivers a speech outlining Australia’s new National Security Strategy. AAP

Cyber Security Centre planned to target growing threat

“The internet must remain open but also secure,” Prime Minister Julia Gillard said today, flagging plans for the development of a new Cyber Security Centre by the end of the year. Ms Gillard said with…
Student debt levels are at a record high, a Grattan Institute report has found. AAP Image/Paul Miller

Architect of student loan system unconcerned by record debt levels

The architect of Australia’s student loan system has poured cold water on a report highlighting record levels of student debt, saying he would not be surprised if a fifth of all student debt was never…
Students at the Matraville Soldiers Settlement Public School are part of a program designed to teach them cyber safety and security. McAfee

PM calls on social media companies to help take on cyber bullies

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has called on Twitter to join other social media companies that have agreed to a protocol to help deal with cyber bullying. The Prime Minister was speaking after the launch…
The Federal Government will give the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse a special unit to investigate cases but will not have the power to prosecute. AAP Image/Julian Smith

Royal Commission into Child Abuse terms of reference: experts respond

The Federal Government today released the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses Child Sexual Abuse in Australia. The Royal Commission, announced in November last year…
Verifying student identity, including during online tests, has always been a major stumbling block for Massive Open Online Courses. University of Maryland http://www.flickr.com/photos/umdnews

Online course host Coursera to ID students using typing style

Online course host Coursera will verify the identities of participating students using web cams and technology that can fingerprint an individual’s unique typing style under a pilot project announced this…
A new Australian study has found China’s “little emperors” are less trusting and more pessimistic than those born before the one-child policy was implemented. Harald Groven

China’s one-child policy builds a generation of risk avoiders: study

China’s one-child policy has built a generation of sensitive, less trusting and more risk-averse adults, according to a new Australian study. The study from researchers at Monash University, the University…
Law reform is required to ensure Australian universities remain competitive say educators. Fernando Stankuns

Universities seek copyright law reform to enable MOOCs

Law reform is required to support innovation and enable Australian universities to compete with the rest of the world in online education, say leading Australian educators. In their submissions to the…
Despite having a major impact, Australia’s national bushfire research centre is about to see its federal funding run out. AAP

Call for merit-based funding as bushfire research money runs out

Funding to support breakthrough research into fires is due to run out before Australia’s next bushfire season kicks in, despite the research being recognised for its social, environmental and economic…
Wayne Swan tells journalists the government’s promised budget surplus is now unlikely to be delivered. ABC News

Swan says budget surplus now unlikely: experts respond

Treasurer Wayne Swan has acknowledged it’s unlikely the government will deliver the budget surplus it had been promising for next year, following the release of a disappointing monthly financial statement…
All new UWS students will be given an iPad next year as part of a plan to boost learning innovation. AAP

Free ‘trinkets’ while courses cut: union condemns UWS iPads plan

The academics union has condemned a plan by the University of Western Sydney to give away 11,000 iPads as part of a $35 million bid to keep its content and teaching relevant to students. All new students…
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), which says it regrets the leak of it’s latest major report. AAP Image/Paul Miller

Human role in climate change now virtually certain: leaked IPCC report

A leaked draft report by the world’s top climate scientists has found that is virtually certain that humans are causing climate change but parts of it have been wildly misinterpreted by climate change…
Mental health experts say uncertainty is a major factor that contributes to the mental deterioration of asylum seekers in detention. AAP

Christmas Island detention centre sees spike in demand for mental health services

The “prison-like” immigration detention facilities on Christmas Island are not appropriate for asylum seekers, and there has been a rise in the demand for mental health services at the facility, according…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard wants Australia to improve its international standing in education performance, setting a goal to be in the top 5 by 2025. AAP

New reports sound alarm on school performance: experts respond

Two new education performance reports released by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) have painted a bleak picture of Australia’s student literacy and science and mathematics achievement…
There was twice as much violence in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace than there was in 1962’s Dr No, the study found. AP Image/Tracey Nearmy

Study finds Bond film violence has doubled

A study of 22 James Bond films has found that the amount of violence depicted has doubled since the original Bond movie was released in 1962. The study’s authors have said the finding raises concerns but…