With the release of the Ruddock review on Thursday, gay students have become the latest political football. Despite the long-awaited review finding little evidence of religious discrimination in Australia, and Ruddock himself stating that "freedom of religion gives you certainly protection ...
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As fact-checking uni course unveiled, experts argue for critical thinking from age four
RMIT is heralding its introduction of Australia's first 'fact-checking' university subject. The course, which will be mandatory for first year BA (Journalism) students, will include the teaching of skills like detecting Photoshopped images, using Google Earth to verify the location ...
More »Professor urges schools to ditch VET/uni dichotomy
A Murdoch University professor has criticised schools for encouraging students to choose between a VET or university pathway. Barry Down, a VET and student engagement specialist, says this dichotomy has become unrealistic. "The reality is that society requires smart workers and citizens with ...
More »What students really think of you
UNICEF Australia is worried about our school students. First, an October report from the global chapter of the UN child humanitarian agency found that Australia ranks 31 out of 40 EU and OECD countries in terms of national education equality. ...
More »Questioning the paradox of equity in education
I have been worried for some time about the concept of equity and how it is usually understood in relation to schooling. It seems to me to be very strange that family income, as one indicator, can determine how children ...
More »Public education campaigner to take on Abbott for Warringah
If Tony Abbott is as "useless" as indigenous leaders believe him to be, he might struggle to hold his seat of Warringah at next year's federal election. The affluent area, with a median weekly household income that's almost double the NSW ...
More »‘Australia’s founders wouldn’t have wanted this’: a case for secular education
Professor Marion Maddox is disappointed with the government. She is worried their injection of extra funds into independent and Catholic schools will further damage "one of the most religiously and economically segregated systems in the western world". Catherine Helen Spence, ...
More »Mitchell Institute: ‘We need capabilities prioritised in Australian education now’
Citizens of the lucky country can no longer rely on good fortune for prosperity - they must rely on capabilities. This is the premise of a new Mitchell Institute report. "Today the question is not if we should seek to teach young ...
More »What Australia can learn from Japan, South Korea
What do Japan and Korea have that Australia doesn't? Well, obviously a multitude of things – not limited to an obsession with skincare and higher quality convenience store sushi. More importantly, however, these countries mandate that teachers change schools regularly. This ensures ...
More »‘Infection of accountability’ ‘killing creativity’: stakeholders rail against education system
"It seems like everywhere we look … there's so much debate about education at the moment." Dr Sunil Badami is right: there's controversy over school funding, teacher standards and preparing students for the future, to name a few areas. The Future ...
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