Australia has a well-developed education
system with very high rates of high school and secondary
completion. More and more Australian students complete
years 11 and 12 of secondary school. Nationally, the retention
rate of secondary school students to year 12 in 2001 (the
time of the last Australian census) was 73.4 per cent.
There is a similarly increasing participation in a variety
of non-school education and training options.
Australian governments at all levels continually review
and reform education and training to address the issues
that arise from social and economic change. In many cases,
Australian models attract international attention and
Australia is involved in cooperating with the development
of educational programs in a number of overseas countries.
Preschool and school education
Preschool and school education has a similar structure
across Australia. School education generally lasts for
13 years, with some variations in Queensland and Western
Australia. It is divided into a preparatory year, primary
schooling and secondary schooling. The preparatory year
is not compulsory but is almost universal. School education
is compulsory until age 15, except in Tasmania where it
is compulsory until age 16. All schools provide subjects
in the Key Learning Areas of English, mathematics, society
and the environment, science, arts, languages other than
English, technology, health and physical education.
In 2001, there were 9596 schools in Australia. Of these,
6942 (72 per cent) were government schools.
Culture
and sport
Australia's school curriculum caters for a wide range
of student skills and interests. Drama, music, art, debating
and public speaking skills, along with team and individual
sports activities, are all enhanced through interschool
collaboration and competition. Purpose-built learning
centres and sports facilities offer the ideal environment
for the academic and personal development of students.
Tertiary education
Tertiary education programs can be divided into two main
types:
- Vocational education, which are programs offered
by institutions and industry within the vocational
education and training (VET) sector. VET is competency-based
and offers a wide variety of programs under a national
training framework. The progressive developments in
Australia's vocational education and training system,
for example its industry-based training packages and
national recognition framework, are generating considerable
international interest.
- Higher education programs, which are mainly offered
by universities and other higher education institutions.
Higher education offers programs leading to Bachelor
degrees and a range of postgraduate awards. Universities
also offer some shorter undergraduate programs.
According to the 2004 Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Education
at a glance report, Australian enrolment in tertiary education
has increased by more than 20 per cent between 1995 and
2002. The report also revealed that Australia has one
of the highest tertiary graduation rates in OECD countries,
higher than that of Japan and the United Kingdom.
Excellence in higher education
Australia's universities have long enjoyed an international
reputation for excellence in teaching and research. Academic
staff in Australian universities are recruited both internationally
and locally. Australia has 40 higher education institutions,
including 38 universities, which receive some level of
funding from the Australian government. In addition, there
is one university that is funded entirely from private
sources and a range of other privately funded institutions
(such as theological colleges) offering higher education
courses. In 2003, the Australian government provided funding
of almost $5 billion to higher education institutions.
Australian universities have strong international links
across the entire range of their activities, from individual
research collaborations through to joint ventures with
universities in other countries. In particular, Australia
works to develop strong education relationships with its
neighbours in the Asia Pacific region.
International students
Each year, Australia welcomes an increasing number of
international students to its universities, institutes,
colleges and schools - on average, foreign enrolment increased
by 11 per cent between 2002 and 2003. Australia is the
leading international student destination for many countries
and overall ranks in the top five of education providers.
According to the OECD, these five countries account for
over 72 per cent of all international student enrolments.
Most of Australia's international students come from the
Asia-Pacific region and lately there has been an increase
in students from India, China and South Korea- indeed
China is now the largest market for Australian education
(19 per cent of total foreign enrolments). Among the main
source countries of international students are Singapore,
Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan.
Australia offers international students a unique education
- a learning style that encourages innovative, creative,
independent thinking. Students develop skills in a supportive
learning environment, gaining recognised qualifications
that open doors to many opportunities. International students
are attracted by the excellence of Australia's education
and training, its quality and financial assurances, its
national qualifications framework and the welcoming environment
of its technologically advanced, safe, culturally diverse
society.
In 2003, there was steady growth in Australia's international
education market across all sectors. There were a total
of 303,324 international student enrolments in Australia
on a student visa . Victoria and New South Wales continue
to attract most overseas enrolments (66 per cent) but
other jurisdictions are showing strong growth.
The growing importance of offshore enrolments of educational
services ensured that distance and commercial presence
programs accounted for 73582 higher education enrolments
in 2003 by students not resident in Australia .
Aside from diversifying Australian students' experiences
with other cultures, international students have a positive
effect on the Australian economy. Provisional estimates
are that revenue of $5.7 billion was derived from education
exports and other national income in 2003 , of which $5.1
billion was onshore student spending (including fees,
living expenses and travel). This expenditure and the
resulting economic activity had an employment impact of
around 46,000 jobs.
English language training
International students especially benefit from the range
of English language training available in Australia. The
training is fully accredited by Australia's National English
Language Training Accreditation Scheme, seen by many countries
as world's best practice.
Courses cater for all levels, from those who only need
to 'brush up' their language skills, to those who wish
to specialise in English as a second language as part
of their career development. English for Academic Purposes
courses help international students cope with their current
studies or prepare them for further study. Testing is
also available in the main internationally recognised
English exams.
