Category: education
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Victoria’s substantial investment in Fee Kinder and state-built childcare centres remains unproven. Results so far suggest that while early learning improves cognitive outcomes, the gap between rich and poor students is actually widening. Potential “human capital” benefits (such as increased NAPLAN scores) are not shared across socio-economic groups and may not be sufficient to build…
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The Victorian teaching profession faces a critical systemic crisis driven by administrative overregulation and fifty years of wage erosion. Decades of bureaucratic intervention have shifted teaching from a localised, classroom-centric vocation into a highly regulated profession burdened by compliance. While primary student outcomes show signs of improvement, secondary student academic results continue a steady decline.…
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State and Federal governments are now rushing to undo their last 30 years of state-mandated teaching instruction guidance. For some, this can’t come soon enough. For others, this is just another salvo in a never-ending war that prioritises fads and fashion over teaching practice. Both levels of government share the blame here. Both have mandated…
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The Federal government should cease its direct funding of the school systems. It should direct those funds back to the states. Its involvement in school funding is expensive, wasteful of taxpayer funds and provides no value to state schooling systems. The Federal government has a key role to play in assuring the system via: The…
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The key to workforce retention and teacher quality is simple. Focus on productivity. Do more of what saves time and do less of what wastes time. Provide high-quality curriculum materials directly to both teachers and students to reduce the “planning cottage industry.” Ensure resources are widely accessible to minimise time spent on photocopying, and close…
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Despite more than 20 years of “Quality Teaching” frameworks—including AITSL standards and mandatory professional development—student outcomes continue to decline. At the same time, the demands on teachers have steadily increased. Compliance requirements around professional learning, student data collection, and constantly changing reporting expectations consume significant time and energy. Add to this continual curriculum revisions, increasingly…
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Australia’s school system is weighed down by a fundamental structural problem: responsibility and control are split between two levels of government. The result is predictable—duplication, inefficiency, and constant blame-shifting. The solution is equally clear. The Federal Government should step back from direct involvement in school education and return to a focused role: setting benchmarks, monitoring…
Mel Yuan for Brunswick 