Understanding the Australian Education System: An Overview

	Post Trip Follow-Up COSN VIP Delegation to Australia, 2004: ICT in Education The CoSN VIP Delegation to Australia Understanding the Australian Education System: An Overview Addressing the Challenges Establishing a Supportive Public Policy Framework Innovative Examples, Models and Leaders A Vision for the Future Trip Background and Reports Agenda Trip Blog Delegation Members Background Materials Sponsor Background Information

Any discussion of ICT in Australian education must begin with an understanding of the structure and organization of Australian schools.

Size and Structure

Federal Level: The view from the capital city, Canberra
www.dest.gov.au

Preschool and school education has a similar structure across Australia with only slight variations among the states and territories. School education is most commonly thirteen years divided into a preparatory year, primary schooling and secondary schooling. The school year normally runs from late January or early February until early December.

There are 9,600 schools in Australia, with 70% public, 20% Catholic and 10% independent with 3.3 m students in primary and secondary education. The government encourages religious and independent schools with funding. A unique challenge faced by Australia is that 66% of schools have less than 300 students.

The Vocational Education and Training sector provides for skills training for over 1.5million students through 84 Technical and Further Education Colleges funded by governments and over 4000 private sector training organizations.

At the higher education level 930,000 students are enrolled in 37 public and 3 private universities.

• CoSN Visit to DEST November 2004 (PPT)
• Organisation of Education and Training in Australia (PPT), by Gerry White, CEO education.au limited
• Innovation and Research Systems Group (PPT)

State Level: The View from Victoria
www.det.vic.gov.au/det/

Against the backdrop of a beautiful turn of the century building in Melbourne, the Department of Education and Training presented a view of the use of technology in Victoria.

With over 800,000 students scattered throughout the state. The Department is spending $250m. on ICT. There is an active computer program for all teachers with 92% having notebook computers and the expectation that all teachers will have access within two years. Wireless networks are being installed in schools, the largest such implementation in Australia. The computer to student ratio is 4:1, but there is little movement to 1:1 computing. Online exams are being piloted for grades 11 and 12. Staff of the department proudly note that “Victoria as a state has better ICT resources than most countries and regions worldwide.”

Even with these clear signs of progress, there is still the struggle of shifting from just providing ICT to effectively using it in school and improving learning outcomes. Primary schools are doing a somewhat better job at integrating ICT into the curriculum but “by and large schools fail to realize that the students are the digital natives – they are changing but the structures of schooling remain the same.” (Lynn Davies ) because there is more time and freedom for students to explore.

Video Clip of Dahle Suggett

Video Clip of Dahle Suggett

State Level: View from Tasmania
www2.education.tas.gov.au

A presentation by Greg Glass, Acting Deputy Secretary, provided a glimpse into the use of ICT in the State of Tasmania serving 49,000 students enrolled in 218 schools. There has been a significant program of investment in ICT infrastructure in the form of the purchase of hardware and software, the development of networks and communication links in schools, and professional development for staff. The Learning Architect Project (LEAP) is a business enhancement model that concentrates on delivery of learning to students to maximize educational outcomes. The model allows for multimodal learning, with students able to take classes at more than one school, and teachers able to go between schools in both face to face and distance learning modes. The annual ICT expenditure is in excess of $20 million.

• Learning Architecture Project (LeAP) by Greg Glass, Acting Deputy Secretary, Resources, Department of Education, Tasmania (PPT)

Administration and Finance

The administration and financing of education in Australia is shared between the Federal Government and the State and Territory Governments. The Federal Government is mainly concerned with the development of national policies and strategies for education, whereas the States and Territories are responsible for delivering education within their borders.

The Federal Government serves as:

• An enabler in providing funding across all education sectors
• A facilitator in providing for policy and operational frameworks
• A partner with other levels of government

Funding for Catholic and independent schools comes from the Federal government and school communities.

• Organisation of Education and Training in Australia (PPT), by Gerry White, CEO education.au limited