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Joyce, Birmingham announce regional education review
The federal government is undertaking a review to form a policy blueprint for helping country students have the same educational opportunities as their city counterparts.
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STEP 1- get the NBN fully operational for regional students to participate in university level education on-line (and – NO – a satellite connection will NOT do it). However, that appears to be simply an impossible dream now.
Certainly a “one size fits all” higher education policy can’t work. Some differentiation between city and the regions is needed when it comes to higher education policy – creating a more level playing field. Provide incentives for prospective students to study in regional centres. Work also needs to focus on incentives to keep students in regional centres rather than students relocating to a city centre (housing / rental affordability issues). This is where economic policy (health of the regions) intersects with other policy drivers and outcomes. Where more job growth occurs in regions an automatic incentive exists for students to study there. Continued regional investing (leveraging off a particluar strength/comparative advnatage in a University’s geographical location) is hopefully part of the solution.