Global InformationEducation in Australia information
 | |
| Australian Government | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Education | Jason Clare |
| National education budget (2015) | |
| Budget | A$111.8 billion[1] 5.9 percent of GDP |
| General details | |
| Primary languages | English |
| System type | State[2] |
| Established compulsory education | 1830s[3] 1870s[3] |
| Literacy (2003) | |
| Total | 99%[4] |
| Male | 99%[4] |
| Female | 99%[4] |
| Enrollment (2008) | |
| Total | 20.4% of population[5][6] |
| Primary | 1.9 million[5] |
| Secondary | 1.4 million[5] |
| Post secondary | 1 million[7] |
Education in Australia encompasses the sectors of early childhood education[8] (preschool) and primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (high schools), and finally tertiary education, which includes higher education (universities and other higher education providers) and vocational education (registered training organisations).[9] Regulation and funding of education is primarily the responsibility of the States and territories;[2] however, the Australian Government also plays a funding role.[10][11]
Education in Australia is compulsory between the ages of four, five, or six[12] and fifteen, sixteen or seventeen, depending on the state or territory and the date of birth.[13]
For primary and secondary education, government schools educate approximately 60 per cent of Australian students, with approximately 40 per cent in non-government schools.[5] At the tertiary level, the majority of Australia's universities are public, and student fees are subsidised through a student loan program where payment becomes due when debtors reach a certain income level.
Underpinned by the Australian Qualifications Framework, implemented in 1995, Australia has adopted a national system of qualifications, encompassing higher education, vocational education and training (VET), and school-based education.[14] For primary and secondary schools, a national Australian Curriculum has been progressively developed and implemented since 2010.[15][16]
Australia is a leading global provider of education to international students, and in 2012 was ranked as the third-largest provider of international education after the United States and the United Kingdom.[17] Australia has the highest ratio of international students per head of population in the world by a large margin, with 812,000 international students enrolled in the nation's universities and vocational institutions in 2019.[18][19]
However, Australian students placed 16th in the world in reading, 29th in maths and 17th in science in the 2018 PISA study by the OCED. This continues a sharp decline in educational standards.[20][21][22][23]
The Education Index, published with the UN's Human Development Index in 2018, based on data from 2017, listed Australia as 0.929, the second-highest in the world.[24]
- ^ Edwards, Daniel; Rice, James Mahmud; McMillan, Julie (24 July 2019). "Three charts on: how much Australia spends on all levels of education". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Overview of Part 1". National Report on Schooling in Australia 2017. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. 2018. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ a b McCreadie, Marion. "The Evolution of Education in Australia". historyaustralia.org.au. Internet Family History Association of Australia. Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ a b c "Australia". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
absyearwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "December Key Figures". Australian Demographic Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. December 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ "Higher Education". Year Book Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2008. Archived from the original on 30 March 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ "Early learning and schools support". Annual Report 2015. Australian Government. Department of Education. 29 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "About the skills sector", Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Australian Government, retrieved 7 December 2020
- ^ Rice, James; Edwards, Daniel; McMillan, Julie (24 July 2019). "Education Expenditure in Australia". Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation.
- ^ Beazley, Jordyn; Cassidy, Caitlin (17 July 2023). "The parents fleeing Australia's public school system – and those choosing to stay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Agency, Digital Transformation. "School education – australia.gov.au". www.australia.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ "Education", Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australian Government, archived from the original on 18 February 2014, retrieved 14 January 2012
- ^ "What is the AQF". Australian Qualifications Framework. Australian Government. n.d. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
- ^ "Curriculum version history", The Australian Curriculum, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d., archived from the original on 4 July 2017, retrieved 4 June 2017
- ^ "Australian school year begins amid unprecedented crisis of public education system". World Socialist Web Site. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2012" (PDF). www.oecd.org. OECD. 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
- ^ "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps".
- ^ "Australian universities double down on international students - MacroBusiness".
- ^ Gullaci, Danielle (7 December 2019). "Australia drops in PISA rankings: Should we be worried? - Education Matters". Education Matters Magazine. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Baker, Jordan (3 December 2019). "'Alarm bells': Australian students record worst result in global tests". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "Schools crisis: why a revolution might be under way". Australian Financial Review. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Cassidy, Caitlin (26 November 2023). "Australian education in long-term decline due to poor curriculum, report says". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Human Development Data (1990–2017)", Human Development Reports, United National Development Program, 14 September 2018, retrieved 6 August 2019