EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM OF AUSTRALIA
The Educational System of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is an independent nation that is part of the British Commonwealth of Nations and governed under a Constitutional Monarchy and a parliamentary government system. Queen Elizabeth II of England is therefore the Head of State of Australia and is represented by the Governor-General, as set forth in the Constitution of the nation’s Commonwealth. The Prime Minister is the head of the Australian government and names the Cabinet of Ministers. While the Constitution affords broad competencies to the Governor-General, in practice the position’s actions are limited and under the counsel of the Prime Minister, who holds the greatest political decision-making influence in the country. On a legislative level, representation in the Parliament is composed of the House of Representatives (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). Australia is a federation divided into six states (New South Wales - NSW, Victoria - VIC, Queensland - QLD, South Australia- SA,Western Australia - WA, and Tasmania- TAS) and two territories (Australian Capital Territory - ACT and the Northern Territory - NT). Each has its own Parliament (bicameral in most cases) and operates with great autonomy in the areas of schools, hospitals, public transportation, transit, roads and highways, public housing, and commercial regulations, among others. The respective Departments of Education in the states and territories are therefore responsible for the administration of the educational system. In this context, the Federal Government, through the Department of Education and Training, is responsible for cooperation and coordination among the different educational organisms in the states and territories, exercisingits leadership to strengthen the quality of education on a national level. The different educational institutions in Australia include public (governmental) schools and private (non-governmental) schools. The large majority of private institutions are religious, with two thirds of this group’s student population attending Catholic schools. The national student body as a whole, however, tends towards public schools (66% of the total). The official language of Australia is English, though there are diverse educational programs that adapt their curriculums for student inclusion, as Australia has a large number of foreign students and is often a destination selected for this reason.
Educational jurisdictions
Australia has three levels of government: federal, territorial/state, and local. With specific regard to education, each state and territory has the responsibility of managingitsown educational system, as well as organizing and financing their educational programming. As such, they establish the policies related to educational organisation, curriculum, accreditation, certification, and assessment of students.
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The states and territories therefore also manage the resources earmarked for their schools by the national government, labor agreements, and the hiring of teaching staff. Such tasks are carried out by each district’s Department of Education, acting in accordance with established national standards. With regard to private schools, local governments’ actions are limited to the inspection and management of school matriculation, and complementary funding. The federal government coordinates the policies and actions of the districts through the Department of Education and Training at a national level, establishing standards and parameters that each district must respect in the implementation of educational activities. The federal government is also responsible for the general funding of the educational system, which is then administered by each territory and state. While its responsibilities are primarily based on the promotion and mediation of the different parties involved in the system, it does exercise influence over national educational policy, setting priorities for local governments. In parallel, there are other national entities that worktowards national educational interests and develop agreements among the governments to collaborate on common priorities and initiatives. Such is the case of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), established in 1992 and composed of the Australian Prime Minister and the Prime Ministers of the territories and states. There are eight councils within the COAGthat deal with specific topics; the Education Council establishes general and specific objectives at a national level that impact educationalorganisation and structuring within the territories. Since 2012, the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC), has brought together the Ministers of Education of the Commonwealth, territories and states, who meet at least once a year to address educational questions of relevance for the whole country and to strengthen the coordination of their actions. Members of the SCSEEC are responsible for primary and secondary education, childhood development(and early childhood development), topics related to youth schooling, cross-sectional aspects (transitions and educational offering), and international education, among others. Another institution under COAG is the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE), which has since 2011 worked at a national level on the organisation of higher education, technical education and professional training, and adult education, among other areas. To summarize, COAG (together with SCSEEC and SCOTESE) is the organism that coordinates and implements the national educational vision through actions carried out by the Department of Education and Training. Nevertheless, it is the territories and states that at a local level manage the administration and supervision of the education offered (in accordance with national standards).
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Academic Structure The following description refers to the general structure of educational levels in the country;the specific functioning of each state and territory may differ.
Day care Prior to entrance into the formal education system, children may attend licensedchildcare centers in educational spaces until the age of four, which focus on early childhood care and stimulation. There is also family day care, which consists of authorized centersthat offer an alternative service through which a family may care for other children along with their own. In general, the majority of the educational offering at this level is private and parents pay fees.
Preschool In the next level are preschools and kindergartens, which last a year and prepare students for entrance into primary school.
Primary education At the age of six students begin their primary education. This lasts six or seven years (depending on the district) and is the beginning of the compulsory education period. Primary education begins with first grade (Year 1) and ends with sixth (Year 6) or seventh grade (Year 7).
Secondary education Depending on the age students finish primary school, they begin secondary school at 12 or 13 years of age. At this level, education is divided into:
• Secondary school or lower/junior secondary
This academic level consists of three or four years, ending in the seventh year of study (tenth grade, or Year 10); upon completion students receive a Certificate of Secondary Education. It involves general preparation and is the end of the compulsory education period. Students must choose at least six courses per year among the required areas of mathematics, English, technology, foreign languages, social sciences, physics, and others.
• Senior/upper secondary
This level represents the last two years of education (tenth and eleventh grade, or Year 11 and Year 12) prior to entrance into higher education. Curriculum design and structure varies among the territories and states. There are two tracks that students may choose from: a general studies plan (college-preparatory), or a vocational education and training plan. The former is intended to prepare students for their subsequent higher educationchoice. Final assessments at this level are administered by each school, though students are typically also externally evaluated
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through state or national exams. At the end of senior secondary school, students earn a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE), which allows for entrance into higher education institutions.
Higher education Higher education in Australia is made up of universities and non-university technical and further education institutes.
• Universities
With the exception of two cases, Australian universities are public. All are autonomous institutions that design their own degree programs. There are currently 43 universities in the country, with at least one in each state and territory. The majority of universities have campuses in more than one district, giving students more options when selecting where and what to study. The objective of universities is to foster an environment for debate and critical thought, with extracurricular activity offerings (art, sports, and academic activities). Students may design programs of study within their degree area, while meeting a certain number of required credits at the end of each academic year. University institutionsgrant bachelor’s degrees, which require between three and four years of study; master’s degrees, which are two-year programs; and finally, doctoral degrees (PhDs), through two to four year programs. Australia has flexible and diverse educational policy at this level, facilitating student mobility between different educational levels and options (for example from senior secondary school to university), as well as access to higher education in general. As a result, there is a growing number of universities that offer programs and training with non-university certifications.
• Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)
In contrast to universities, these tertiary institutions do not typicallyoperate with such autonomy, as they are overseen by institutions of each state and territory. Though when compared with universities, there are more private institutionswithin this group, the majority are still public. These institutes grant degrees in a broad range of areas, such as administration, social sciences, religion, theater, tourism, medicine, and teacher training. Certifications include undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, and diplomas (basic or advanced)that are specific to this type of educational institution (which includes technical vocational schools). They accept equivalent transfer coursework from bachelor programs. Entrance into a degree program in a higher education institute requires application to the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER), which establishes a national standard that all higher education institutions use as benchmark criteria for entrance into their degree programs, and is related to the SSCE (secondary degrees). Each state and territory utilizes its own system to calculate scores for entrance; qualification depends on the admitting institution. All higher education institutions accept qualifications awarded in any part of the country, and also offer alternatives for entrance for students who have not taken the ENTER exam or completed upper secondary school.
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Funding As stated above, the Australian government funds all schools across the country, be they private or public. The Australian Education Act of 2013 establishes the framework for financing processes through the Australian Education Regulation. Territorial and state governments must therefore guarantee the administering and submission of educational budget lines in their districts, thus assuring the provision of schooling. Such activities and regulations are stipulated in legislation through each region’s Constitution. The states and territories also allocate a large part of their budgets to education, to the extent that they are the primary funding source for their public schools, with the Australian national government providing supplementary funds. The opposite is the case for non-governmental, private schools. Currently, with the announcement of the Quality Schools package, a record educational financing is planned for the coming ten years, involving a total investment by the Australian government of $249 billion. This implies an increase in funding of public schools by 95% for 2017, and 65% for private schools. To summarize, the Australian educational financing system involves both the national and local governments. Local governments are primarily responsible for primary and secondary education, while the national government is in charge of higher education.
Compulsory education Compulsory education in Australia currently begins with primary school, at six years of age, and continues through the completion of junior/lower secondary school, at 15 or 16 years. As previously stated, this information is general, and may vary across the territories and states, as they possess the authority to establish their own regulations and programming. Along these lines, there are certain exceptions to the norms mentioned. In the cases of South Australia and Tasmania, compulsory education continues until 16 years, and in West Australia, until 17 years. In all districts it begins at the age of six, with the exception of Tasmania, which begins at five. Compulsory education in Australia has its origins in 1870, when many of the then Australian colonies began to pass the first education laws. From 1872 to 1895, new laws were enacted that introduced free, compulsory, and secular education in the different territories of the country.
Vocational Education and Training Vocational Education and Training (VET) refers to the Australian system of education and vocational training that develops in students the skills and competencies directly related to professional spaces. The educational contents involve theory and practical experience, through collaboration with businesses and the industrial sector of the country. This way, connections are encouraged between distinct levels of the government (national and local) and members of the business community and industrial sectors, with the aim of developing guidelines and specificities for VET programs. This system is overseen at a national level by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), with the Industry and
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Skills Council providing direction and supervising the structuring of this type of education. As such, businesses and industries also play a notable role in the discussionson VET programs of study. Until 2009 the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE) was the organism in charge of planning, development, and monitoring of the policies within the area of VET. Its responsibilities were then delegated to the Ministerial Council of Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE), and in 2012, were finally transferred to the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE) within the COAG. This institution exercises an important role in the implementation of activities at a national level. Another organism that contributes to the regulation of VET is the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), which monitors and controls the registry of instructors and inspects the application of national norms, attempting to resolve any problems related to the quality of education. The state and territorial governments also participate in the administration, control, and regulation of national policies, through their respective Departments of Education and institutions related to VET.
Training is offered at two levels: Secondary education (VET in schools) One of the options for upper secondary school is technical school. Through a program called “Preparing secondary students for work,� students develop the necessary tools and training for entrance into the labor market, through theoretical learning and, most importantly, practicums. Institutions that offer this type of secondary education must comply with the requirements established by the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) of their respective state or territory. Upon completion of studies, graduates earn a Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.
Higher education A network of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes offers technical education to students. These schools operate with autonomy though they must comply with the Constitution of their local government, which also managesits corresponding educational institutions. There are also private institutions that offer this type of education; both public and private institutions must form part of the RTO of their state or territory.
Qualification framework The Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) is a system of nomenclature that organizes all educational certifications in the country. It defines all recognized degrees and qualifications and specifies the standards and protocols required to earn them. This framework was gradually introduced, beginning in 1995 and reaching full implementation by 2000. It is administered by the Department of Education and Training, with ongoing consultation with the Commonwealth, states, and territories. All national agreements and collaborations must be made in accordance with the AQF, which establishes quality standards for the VET system.
The AQF divides VET into eight levels:
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Certification
Duration
Certificate I
4 – 6 months
Certificate II
6 – 8 months
Certificate III
1 year
Certificate IV
1 – 1.5 years
Diploma
1.5 – 2 years
Advanced diploma
2 – 3 years
VET graduate certificate
6 months – 1 year
VET graduate diploma
1 – 2 years
Vocational Education and Training Reform In November 2013 reforms to VET began to be discussed, involving representatives from local and national educational institutions as well as members of thecountry’s industrial and business sectors. A plan was developed under four premises: • Respond to industries and businesses • Offer a high-quality, regulated education • Promote specific financing and governance • Use the information, needs, and motivations of potential students in the development of educational offerings
In 2014 these premises were translated into six objectives, agreed upon by all district Ministers of Education, through the COAG: 1. A national VET system which is governed effectively with clear roles and responsibilities for industry, the Commonwealth and the states and territories. 2. A national system of streamlined industry-defined qualifications that is able to respond flexibly to major national and state priorities and emerging areas of skills need. 3. Trade apprenticeships that are appropriately valued and utilised as a career pathway. 4. A modern and responsive national regulatory system that applies a risk-management approach and supports a competitive and well-functioning market. 5. Informed consumers who have access to the information they need to make choices about providers and training that meets their needs. 6. Targeted and efficient government funding that considers inconsistencies between jurisdictions or disruption to the fee-for-service market.
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Australian Academic Structure Doctorate Master’s degree Graduate diploma
Higher education
Graduate certificate Bachelor’s degree Intermediate Advanced degree diploma Bachelor’s degree in progress
Senior secondary
Technical senior secondary
VET graduate diploma VET graduate certificate Advanced diploma Diploma I Certificate IV Certificate III Certificate II Certificate I
Vocational Education and Training
Junior secondary Compulsory education
Primary education
AQF – Certifications by education type and level Formal schooling sector
VET
Higher education
Certificate I Senior secondary
Certificate II Certificate III Certificate IV Diploma
Diploma
Advanced diploma
Advanced diploma Associate’s degree Bachelor’s degree
VET graduate certificate
Graduate certificate
VET graduate diploma
Graduate diploma Master’s degree Doctorate
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References Organisation of Ibero-American States, Webpage www.oei.es United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Webpage www.ibe.unesco.org Council of Australian Governments (COAG), Webpage www.coag.gov.au Australian Department of Education and Training, Webpage www.aqf.edu.au Australian Qualification Framework, Webpage www.aqf.edu.au Vocational Education and Training Reform (VET) www.education.gov.au/vocational-education-and-training-reform Informative Webpage on VET www.ivet.com.au
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