Critical Analysis of Public Education in Australia - Example

Name : xxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxx @2010 Critical Analysis of Public Education in Australia Introduction The education system in Australia is basically composed of primary and secondary school education with the tertiary level of education comprising of higher institutions of learning. The primary and secondary schools in Australia are categorized in accordance to the mode of funding and the type of administrative structures that revolve around their governance. Australia’s education system has been ranked as the eighth best in the globe by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The government of Australia has indicated its commitment towards fostering economic prosperity through its efforts in the pursuit of quality education in both the primary and secondary schools. The public education system in this country has been subjected to a lot of transformation in an effort to foster a competitive advantage in the globe. The economic polices put in place strongly emphasize the economic advantage that stands to be gained in the schooling system. This is done through efforts geared at synchromeshing the education system in the country with the existing labour market. Within Australia, schools are managed at the level of each state government. This basically implies that each state government is responsible for the funding and the regulation of schools within their locality. Examining the Australian Education System For all children aged between 5 to about 15 across all Australian states, education for them is compulsory. This implies that all if not a very large proportion of the citizens of this country have some access to both elementary and junior school education. The education systems are under the legislation of the six state governments in this country. The six states with the public education sector under the provisions of their legislation include: Wales. South Australia, Victoria, New South, West Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. The capital territory too has its education system under the legislation of the state government. For Australian citizens within the northern territory, their educational needs are covered under the funding of the federal government. Majority of the states in Australia have their education systems formulated on the basis of policies that are common to all public schools. With regard to New South Wales, 3- 5 year olds are subjected to tests that examine basic skills. In other states, special forms of examination are used to determine the learner’s ability to enter in a particular school (Abelson 2008). As the learner proceeds through years 7, 9 to 10 various forms of internal assessments are applied to determine the learner’s ability to proceed to the next level of education. For learners in New South Wales, entry in to technical school is possible on attaining a certificate. A higher leaving certificate examination is administered at year 12 for schools in south Wales normally referred to as the Higher School certificate. Within the state of Southern Australia, primary school education runs from year 1 to7 contrary to Tasmania, Victoria and South Wales states where the same primary education spreads from year 1 to year 6. The secondary school education system extends to year 12 across all states though there are different mechanisms of assessment (Shapiro & Papadakis 2007). With the rise in development standards, there is a mounting pressure on the need to increase the cooperation of education systems across all the states in Australia. With regard to figures obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in the year 1996, the country had a total of 9,629 schools. About 7,087 schools out of the total as at that time of the statistics were run by the state directors –General of education. Non governmental schools as at the time this data was drawn amounted to a total of 2,542 schools. with regard to these figures, there was a total of about 3, 142,933 Australian children going t o school with 2,221,475 going to government schools while 19,974 going to non governmental schools. The total number of the teaching staff with regard to the government sponsored schools was 143, 949 indicating a 0.1 percent increase from the number recorded in the previous year. The number of full time teaching staff in private or non governmental schools as at the time totaled to 60, 070 (Shapiro & Papadakis 2007). While basing on the above figures, it emerges that there has been a notable decrease in the number of students enrolling in Australian government sponsored schools. This has led to a significant increase in the number of students enrolled in private schools. The number of students opting to attend private schools in Australia represents about thirty percent which is to contrary to the figure pointing to students going to private schools in both Britain and North America where only about 10 % of the school going children attend private schools. The rate of enrollment in private schools within Australia is evidently higher compared to any of the Anglo- American countries. In most of Anglo- American countries, the rate of enrolment in private schools is rapidly declining over time. As at the moment the rate of enrolment in private schools in Australia has reached its peak level ever since the establishment of state funded school system. Among the private institutions running private schools in Australia, the Catholic Church takes the lion’s share. The other private stakeholders in the education system include elite, religious and ethnic groups. South Australia Adelaide is one of the internationally recognized centers of education and Australia’s learning region. Through its international education agency, the Government of South Australia works hand in hand with the providers of public and private education, universities and the City Council of Adelaide to market the region as a premier destination for studies. It also involves the availing of community assistance for students from other states and countries who opt to study in South Australia (OECD 2006). The reasons behind Adelaide’s prosperity are as follows: Past history on academic excellence Adelaide is a city that is highly credited for yielding the largest number of Nobel Laureates in Australia. It also hosts three world class universities namely; University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and Flinders University. Carnegie Mellon University which is based in the United States recently opened two different schools in the city of Adelaide. Cranfield University of the United Kingdom provides postgraduate and professional programs also with research in technology, military and aspects of leadership. In the year 2005 Ballarat University started delivering undergraduate and also qualifications in postgraduate fields in Business and technology. 2009 was scheduled for the opening of a campus for the University College London in the city. Establishment of a research and education center by the Royal institution of London which is a global leader had been planned. South Australia has perfected vocational training via TAFESA (Technical and Further Education South Australia) and ICHM (International College of Hotel Management) among others. Adelaide is also known for its wide variety of international qualifications in hospitality and related fields. ICHM for instance offers the coveted Hospitality Management Diploma of the Swiss Hotel Association. Le Cordon Bleu School on the other hand is a member of the popular Parisian group which offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the fields of hospitality and gastronomy. Cheap and good standards of life  The city is rated as most economical and livable in the globe by Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit. Bonus points Those who opt to study in Adelaide get bonus points during the application of visa. This is meant to encourage more students to choose the city. Proximity Students living inside the city don’t need to walk long distances as the schools are just close to their residential places. They are also guaranteed of the same travel concessions. Friendly Relations The region is credited for fostering ideal friendly relations and academic programs. Activities to foster students’ interaction are scheduled throughout the year. Along with attracting students from all over the world, Adelaide provides ripe opportunities for investment. This also helps develop and deliver innovation in training and education.  Adelaide is committed to the development of the vocational education. The council provides benefits and convenience to those willing to venture in. The benefits include publicity, planning, and assistance in finding site. Result Education is a major contributor to the economy to the extend of $3.4 billion (4.8%) to the Gross Value Added in 2008-2009. Exports The city of Adelaide has attracted more than 27,900 international students in the year 2008. It also attributes $892 million of revenue from the international students in 2008-09. It also boasts of 45% of the region’s service exports. Its major foreign students market includes Malaysia, China and India. Job creation A total of 61,800 people were employed in the education sector in the period of 2008-2009. Number of business firms As many as 873 education related firms recorded by 2007. Comparing the Numbers of Student Enrollment in Private and Public Schools Within Australia As at the August of the 1998, the number of school going children in Australia was rated at a total of 3, 198, and 655. This was the number enrolled in the various schools that total to around 9,587. Of the number of those enrolled in schools, 61 percent represent kindergarten to 6 year students. Of the total number of schools implicated in the enrolling of students, 73 percent represented schools owned by the government. The growth in the emergence and enrolment of learners in private schools in the country continues to grow as the same declines in the government schools. The enrolment has been shown to be relatively higher in a number of Christian schools whose fees charges are relatively lower hence affordable by majority. The high rate of enrolment in these Christian schools is mainly attributed to the drift in the society towards the non governmental sector and the implicated fears among parents in the emerging rates of social decay among public institutions. This explains where the rate of enrollment in such schools is higher with regard to years 8 to 10. Government schools on the other hand point to retention rates with regard to kindergarten to year 6 enrolments. For over 100, 000 indigenous students who found their way in to K-12, the preference to government funded schools is an aspect that can be attributed to their inability to afford the cost of education in private schools. The growth of private schools with regard to K-12 enrolment has shown tremendous increase over time. However, the growth has been less in middle class and various suburban areas within major cities in Australia. The ability of non governmental schools to earn the government per capital funding of learning institutions alongside the constituency support is an aspect that has greatly enabled such schools to afford good staff to student ratios than the case of government schools. This is a case that is very common in various wealth Anglican schools in the private education sector. Building of ideal accommodation facilities is however an aspect that seems not to be increasing at the same rate with the increase in the number of enrolment in schools in the private sector. This explains why a number of relatively cheap private schools are highly challenged with the problem of accommodation. There is a wide variation among major public schools whose polices are based on churches hence categorized in the private sector. Among them are schools run by the Catholic Church and some local government schools that are basically low cost schools. Ever since the recovery of the economy from the recession in the year 1980, there has been a decline in the retention rates with regard to grades in the 10- 12 years in schools. The Funding of the Schools in Australia Despite the fact that the Catholic church had enacted is own form of funding for both the primary and secondary schools in line with is teaching orders, there came a time when it was disappointed owing to the fact that it could not get any form of assistance from the government. This was highly related to the fact that the Australian Labour Party to which majority of the Australian Catholics supported had indicated its dislike for any form of government funding towards schools that are owned by churches. This was however corrected in the period running from the year 19500 to 1960 when the regulations were some how relaxed by the conservative parties. This was highly related to the fact that the various conservative parties were looking forward to earning the votes of the Australian Catholics that represented a large proportion of the entire vote. At the time of their move to support church funded schools, the situation in various catholic schools had escalated in to a big financial crisis. As at this time, most of the Catholic schools could no longer depend on the fetes and the bazaars for funds to run the schools. On realizing the impact of the catholic vote in Australian politics, the Federal Labour Party realized the need to adopt polices that would support the funding of its schools. This prompted its entry in to the Federal election in the year 1970 based on a strong policy that was geared at funding the needs of all schools. As per the provisions that the party had identified in its policy, all catholic schools that were at the time in a dire need of funds were deemed as legible for federal government funding . All the other schools that were thought to be wealthy were excluded from the same funding. This is the policy that led to the reelection of the Labour party in the year 1972. With the amounting stiff campaign from various private schools, the Liberal Party moved in with threats to stop the Labour Party’s policy of only supporting some schools and not others. According to the Liberal party and the hot campaign from the various private schools, such a policy would only work best if at all the schools were given government funding. This led to a policy that ensured that all the schools in Australia were legible for a government funding based on the assessment of their available resources. The schools that were found to be in dire need especially the catholic schools as at the moment of the adoption of the new policy were entitled to a total of about 80% funding. This funding was awarded from both the federal and the state governments. Schools that were considered to be financially stable with regard to their resources were entitled to about 33 % of the funding from the government. In the event that any of the schools wished to extend its facilities, it became possible for it to be funded on applying for capital grants. As far as religion and the choice of the type of school in Australia are concerned, it emerges that there exists some correlation between the church and the concerns of the economy. Most of the children who attend government schools emerge from low income backgrounds while a large majority of those going to private schools emerge from wealthy backgrounds. In such wealthy backgrounds, the families are bound to be staunch believers in a certain religious faith like the catholic faith (Mason 1987). The Australian has discovered the need to invest in the education market. This explains why all forms of public education in this country have been made compulsory and relatively cheap. Even on finishing secondary education, most of the university students receive educational subsidies. The system of education n Australia is such that is highly acknowledged even across the international borders. This is when compared to a number of other OECD countries around the globe. 15 year olds in this country are ranked in the second position with regard to their level of literacy and fourth and sixth respectively with regard to mathematics and problem testing. The performance among learners is excellent with there being not any evidenced decline (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005). The Problem of Meeting Education for the Disadvantaged in Australia With every thing in the education system with regard to both primary and secondary education being in good shape, provision of quality education for the disadvantaged is an aspect that remains to be a major problem in the education system of Australia. It emerges that there is a great difference in the level of academic performance between the highest and the lowest performers with regard to the economic, social and family background of the learners (Reid & Australian Curriculum Studies Association 1998). The influence of aspects of the economic, social and family status on the performance of learners in Australia is an aspect that greatly impacts on the implicated performance of the learners than it does in any other country. The existence of the high/low quality ratios in this country is an aspect that greatly affects the type of education accorded to the less disadvantaged. The main reason for the existence of such a situation in the country is highly related to the fact that unlike other countries, the Australian government seems to spend very little both on education and on a number of labour market programs especially training (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005). The little that the government happens to spend on the education sector mainly benefits the most fortunate Australians than the disadvantaged ones. A large percentage of the education system in this country is such that heavily relies on funding from the non governmental or private sector. It emerges that the rich and affluent in this country invests heavily in the education of their children unlike the less fortunate who have very few financial resources (Shapiro 1991).The Australian Labour market is thus a good reflection of the impacts of the existing inequalities in education. The country suffers from inequalities of private revenue especially among the working population. The country is also suffering from relatively high rate of under- employment and lack of employment especially for the lowly educated and those with few skills. The country does have a large number of occupations that only demand very few qualifications and low quality education. The education and training arrangements in Australia are basically characterized by improper policies pointing to the distribution of education related resources. Other Problems Related to Education System in Australia Most of the big problems related to the education system in Australia are such that are evident at almost every level of education. Kindergarten education The results of the disadvantages of the education system and the resultant form of employment are such that are implanted in the early stages of life in school. The form of kindergarten education offered in Australia has been left unchanged for a relatively long period of time. Kindergarten education is a sector that has received very little attention in Australia for over a long period of time. The participation of the government in pre school education in this country is very low and so is its expenditure towards the funding of preschool education. This is an aspect that is also related to the inequalities of the access to quality pre school education among many families. It emerges that most children of the ages of about 2 to 4 years of age would be assured of a better educational start in their life had it been any possible for them to access quality pre school education. This would have greatly contributed to their cognitive development on growing in to adults and possibly fostered their employability. Had this been effected in Australia, the entire society would have reaped lots of benefits with regard to the reduction in the level of crime and dependence of welfare programs (Shapiro 1991). Secondary Education The gap of full time students in non governmental schools entitled to Federal funding and their governmentally sponsored counterparts seems to be narrowing. Most parents are now heavily investing in private school education for their children. This implies the emergence of a bigger gap between the resources awarded to the rich private school students and relatively poor students in public schools. The ratio of the total per capita expenditure on private to public school education is now at a quarter to one third more with regard to children in private schools than in public schools. The gap is bound to be bigger than this when capital accounts are considered (OECD 2006). It emerges that the intense competition in the private and public education system in this country leads in to the development of a vicious circle in the employment sector. With most good performing students shifting to private schools, most public schools are left with poor performing students (Reid & Australian Curriculum Studies Association 1998). A number of pubic schools are also marred with moral decay owing to the dominance of less peer pressure. Public schools are highly challenged with their low ability to effectively attract excellent teaching staff. This leads to the prevalence of poor teacher to student ratios that has escalated in to the emergence of moral decay owing to lack of close and strict supervision of students by their teachers in public schools. Majority of the less fortunate student in public schools are also not able to effectively access ideal sources of relevant information. This is related to the fact that majority emerge from remote localities (Abelson 2008). This possibly explains why most country schools perform poorly in academics than schools in urban centers. Most students from the remote regions would rarely complete their education. An analytical comparison between private and public schools in Australia Educational facilities A good number of public schools in Australia have ideal educational facilities while others do not. The situation is not any different when it comes to private schools. Most of the facilities in public schools are initiated by the funding received from the government. With private schools, the attraction of financial assistance and endowments is very critical. The type of facilities in private schools point to the implicated ability of the school administration to liaise for funds. It emerges that a number of K- to year 12 schools in Australia have very excellent facilities that can not be compared to those found even in higher institutions of learning. Such facilities are rare to find in most public schools. The economic location of a number of public schools greatly influences the type of facilities that they have. Schools in wealthy suburban regions have better facilities than schools in remote regions (Reid & Australian Curriculum Studies Association 1998). The size of classes It emerges that private schools out do public schools in this respect. The size of class for almost all private schools is small in an effort to foster individual attention of the teacher to the learner. Most private schools would thus have class sizes of the ratio of one teacher to fifteen students. This is contrary to public schools where any one who needs to be in school is accommodated. This explains why there are very large classes in public schools with some having more than 40 students in the class. This is an aspect that makes teaching to downgrade to the level of baby sitting. Teaching Teachers in the public sector are well paid than their counterparts in the private sector. The compensation of teachers for their service in teaching tends to vary with regard to the prevailing economic situation. The problem of low starting salaries and salary increment is an aspect that greatly contributes to the emergence of low retention rates of the teaching staff in public schools. The benefits in the employment sector with regard to the public sphere has been rated among the best. It emerges that ever since the year 2000, the cost of health related pensions have gone higher forcing those in the employment sector to pay heavily for their own benefits. The level of compensation in most private schools is relatively lower that it is in public schools. Most forms of compensation in private schools are highly determined by the schools’ policies and the available financial resources (OECD 2006). The pension schemes in private schools are such that will tend to vary from one school to another. It is a requirement for teachers in both the private and public schools to be credentialed. This implies being in possession of a degree and a teaching certificate. In most private schools, teachers with an advanced degree are preferred over teachers with an education degree. The Budgetary Allocation Most of the public school education is supported by local property taxes. This is an aspect that tends to make the annual school budget preparation and approval a contentious fiscal and political aspect. It emerges that in most communities with poor inhabitants that are survived by fixed rates of income, the response to the budgetary allocations with regard to the projected tax revenue is very minimal (Argy 2006). Most forms of grants from both the business community and various foundations have been of very great impact with reference to creative forms of funding. The funding in private schools unlike in public schools is derived from a number of sources including the government. Private schools are in a position to raise funds from tuition fees collected and also from a number of development activities like annual appeals. Other forms of funding for various private schools are sought from grants from foundations and various corporations. The cultivation of alumni movements is yet another source of funding for a number of private schools. The later is an aspect that greatly facilities fund rising (Argy 2006). Administrative Support for the Private and Public Education Systems in Australia Decision making in the administration positions is highly challenged by the level of bureaucracy. It emerges that high levels of bureaucracy greatly impair the process of decision making. The level of bureaucracy in the public education system is far much pronounced than it is in the private education sector. This s an aspect that is greatly related to the existence of various union contracts and the influence of a number of political considerations. Unlike public schools, most private schools have ideal management structures in place. Both the operating and the endowment income are responsible for overseeing the expenditure of every single dollar. Most resources are thus infinite. With regard to the employment policies, it emerges that majority of the private schools unlike their public counterparts do have unions for their teachers (Argy 2006). Conclusion The Australian education system is marred with a number of threats and opportunities. Many of the problems common to the public education sector are addressed by the private education sector. This then intensifies the level of competition among these two stake holders in the education sector. Inequality in the education system is an aspect that greatly leads to the underperformance of the Australian economy. There is need for the government to put in place ideal education policies. This should be done to all levels of education spreading from kindergarten to secondary school education. This needs to be done for the purpose of eliminating the existence of impediments related to low income levels. The improvement of the Australian education sector is an aspect that will result in to the emergence of better employment opportunities and the development of a more productive society. References Abelson, P 2008, Public Economics: Principles and Practice, McGraw-Hill Education, New Jersey. Argy, F 2006,” Equality of Opportunity in Australia – myth and reality”, Australia Institute Discussion Paper 85, section 4.5. Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005, Year book, Australia, Issue 87, Aust. Bureau of Statistics, Melbourne. Mason, P 1987, Private education in Australia and New Zealand, Independent Schools Information Service, Melbourne. OECD 2006, Starting strong: early education and care, Cunha, F, & Heckman J, Washington. Reid, A, & Australian Curriculum Studies Association 1998, Going public: education policy and public education in Australia, Australian Curriculum Studies Association, Canberra. Shapiro, P & Papadakis, K 2007, Citizen Preference and Public Education in Australia: An Analysis of Interstate Differences, Economic Society of Australia, vol.69, pp.149- 162. Shapiro, P 1991, Citizen Preferences and Public Education in Australia: An Analysis of Interstate Differences, Faculty of Commerce, Deakin University. Read More