All teacher education students will be required to pass standardised literacy and numeracy tests in order to qualify for graduation under a new plan to be phased in via a trial starting this year. The test, developed by the Australian ...
More »VET course withdrawal fees banned
A federal government ban on withdrawal fees for students who quit VET courses is proof that a deregulated education market encourages unscrupulous activity by providers, the National Tertiary Education Union has said. The new regulations, announced last week by the Assistant ...
More »Schmidt to lead ANU from 2016
Nobel laureate professor Brian Schmidt has been announced as ANU’s next vice-chancellor. Schmidt, who most recently made headlines calling for the establishment of a national agency to address Australia’s poor track record in science, technology and innovation, has worked at the ...
More »Please be more specific
What exactly constitutes a scholarly article isn’t nearly as straightforward as it should be – and that’s a costly problem. By Ralf Buckley Every modern civilisation relies on its universities. And governments count visible products – graduates and publications – ...
More »International education export income hits record $17.6 bn
Australia’s international education services export income hit a record $17.6 billion in 2014, the latest ABS data has revealed. Releasing the new figures this week, the education minister, Christopher Pyne, said the results indicated that about $600 million of the $17.6 ...
More »One watchdog is not enough
It’s high fantasy to think one quality regulator could oversee VET and higher education. By John Mitchell Before the recent federal Budget, a thought bubble popped up in the media. The thought was that the nation could save money by ...
More »Prolonged sitting may raise anxiety levels: Deakin
Increased anxiety is the latest condition to be linked to prolonged sitting. Watching TV, working at a computer or playing electronic games have long been associated with physical health problems such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. ...
More »ABC program may be driving reduced statin use
The ABC’s controversial program reporting that the benefits of reductase inhibitors – better known as statins – for heart disease were grossly overstated led to more than 60,000 Australians ceasing or reducing their use of the drugs, new research has ...
More »Opinion: Research needs a better sales pitch
The competition for funding dollars is intense; the sector needs to do a better job of showing the public the benefits of investment in science. By Deborah Terry The federal Budget announcement of continued NCRIS funding for two more years ...
More »OPINION: Cast the sector in a better light
Reports have recently put forth a negative view of the sector; the full story must be told. By Phil Honeywood The past few months has provided some great news for Australia’s international education sector. Whether it be consistent increases in ...
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