Archived News for Education Sector Professionals - July, 2011
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has announced plans to answer questions from the public about the state of Queensland, including the State Government’s Flying Start initiative, during People’s Question Time on Friday 12th August.
The event is the eighth in a series of People’s Question Time sessions which give Queenslanders a chance to submit questions online to the Premier and other panellists and watch them answered during a live Q&A panel discussion broadcast over the internet.
Premier Bligh said People’s Question Time, which began in 2010 as a result of the Government’s Integrity and Accountability reforms, voiced her confidence that the QA session will contribute to the accessibility of the Government.
NCVER publishes apprentices and trainees statistics
The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has published its research into apprentices and trainees for the 2010 year.
Go8 backs Australian Technology Network research measure
The Australian Technology Network has received backing from the Group of Eight universities to establish a measure of research that could eventually determine funding in the future for the field.
Chaplaincy program 'must improve'
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has urged the Federal Government to improve the management and oversight of the $222 million National School Chaplaincy Program.
RMIT and Oxfam to produce climate change toolkit
RMIT University has announced a partnership with Oxfam Australia to produce a toolkit that will assist communities in the Asia-Pacific region adapt and respond to climate change.
Catholic University buys $53 million Sydney tower
The Australian Catholic University has spent $53 million in purchasing a North Sydney office tower as it prepares to up its student intake this year.
Australian universities fail to impress Indian students
Indian students are increasingly concerned by a perceived decline in quality of education and the prevalence of racism in Australia according to findings published by Canadian group Higher Education Strategy Association.
$20 million for Victorian regional students
The Victorian Government has announced a $20 million package aimed at facilitating easier access to higher education for the state’s regional students.
New group to advise on IT in education
The School Education Minister Peter Garrett has announced the creation of a new advisory group of education and IT experts to provide the Australian Government with advice on the next steps towards transforming teaching and learning through technology.
Melbourne University gets broadband funding
The Victorian Minister for Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips has announced that the State Government will provide $3 million as part of a $21 million investment in the University of Melbourne’s Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society (IBES).
New resource for science teachers
The Federal Government has announced the launching of a new online science resource designed the give school science teachers access to cutting each technology information.
Melbourne School of Engineering seeking senior appointees
The Melbourne School of Engineering is inviting applications for up to fifteen continuing appointments from engineering scholars of international distinction.
States and Territories sign up to school governance overhaul
State and Territory Education Ministers have agreed to participate in Phase One of the Australian Government’s Empowering Local Schools initiative, subject to the successful negotiation of a National Partnership and bilateral implementation plans with States and Territories and funding agreements with non-government education authorities.
National standard set for school principals
The Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs has endorsed a National Professional Standard for Principals to support the professional preparation, development and self-reflection of aspiring and practising principals in schools across Australia.
Victoria and NSW cool on curriculum reform
Education Ministers from New South Wales and Victoria have expressed reservations about progress to a National Curriculum following a meeting of the Ministerial Council on Education, Early Childhood and Youth Development (MCEECDYA) held in Melbourne earlier this month.
$500 million for regional universities and TAFEs
The Federal Government has announced a $500 million infrastructure spending packaged focused on the construction of state-of-the-art educational facilities across regional Australia.
UniSA research to boost indigenous teachers
The David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research (DUCIER) at the University of South Australia has been awarded $7.5 million from the Federal Government to research and implement ways of increasing the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers in Australian schools.
Report predicts declining international student numbers will cost $37.8 billion
Universities Australia has released a commissioned report forecasting that the impact on the Australian economy of the downturn in international student numbers will be $37.8 billion for the decade to 2020.
Effects of VET and uni completion on wages
A new report by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has found that the difference in wages of those who complete their TAFE studies and those who do not complete tend to disappear over time.
New director-general for NSW education department
Dr Michele Bruniges has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Department of Education and Communities and Managing Director of TAFE NSW.
Federal Government reports 100,000 additional university places
The Federal Government has reported an additional 100,000 university places since taking power in 2007.