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Elite Australian athletes tackle the HSC overseas
Eryk Bagshaw An eerie quiet descended on 17-year-old Myles Cherry as the sole occupant of the exam room, 16,000 kilometres away from home.
Latest education news
The girls bucking the chemistry trend
!["I was in the zone": Shannon Gao, right, with classmate Deborah Gu.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/g/w/2/h/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk83sh.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw At North Sydney Girls High School, one in two students sat the HSC chemistry exam on Friday.
The class of 1995: HSC achievers 20 years on
![BOSS 16TH APRIL 2015 nicolette Maury inside her new offices at 1 O'connell st sydney the office is still under ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/2/6/l/9/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk21ue.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Caitlin Wheeler In 1995, 13 NSW students received a perfect Tertiary Entrance Rank of 100, and 25 received a close 99.95. Twenty years on, The Sydney Morning Herald caught up with the 1995 HSC high achievers to find out where they are now on the eve of this year's exams.
Jacobs has many strings to his bow
![UNSW's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/7/t/s/c/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk7tw4.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Alexandra Smith Medical researcher continues pioneering work in women's health while planning to lift university's world ranking.
HSC 2015: Students sit HSC mathematics
![17-year-old Redlands HSC students sitting advanced maths Sonia Kalcina, Oliver Glixman and Adelaide Yuill.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/e/s/l/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk7uid.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw The rest of the country may be falling behind in mathematics, but these students aren't going to be part of that equation.
UNSW sets sights on place in top 50 unis
![The University of NSW aims to be a top 50 university within 10 years.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/o/y/f/s/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkdo7h.11n0jl.png/1454040134418.jpg)
Alexandra Smith The University of NSW will position itself as Australia's global university and one of the best 50 institutions in the world under a new strategy.
The man who turned a school on to science
![Ken Silburn.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/d/p/7/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkdfjr.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Marcus Strom It takes a special teacher to turn a whole school around.
Are you up for 3-unit physics?
![Wiley Park Girls High School students (from left) Ushna Fatima, Tasnim Alam and Courtney Allerton in their science ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/c/q/4/u/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gkc9md.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw The state's most talented HSC science students could be offered extension courses including a new super-science subject by 2017.
HSC 2015: School's out
![150929- Samuel Barrie, 18, in his bedroom in his family home in Auburn, Sydney.
"I'm kind of like a human oxymoron, I ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/6/5/s/0/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk6c7p.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
"I'm kind of like a human oxymoron. I feel happy and sad about leaving school. I'm happy for the freedom but I'll miss the place – the environment, the people, the teachers."
More than half of exams will be marked online
![Students will be banned from wearing Apple Watches in their HSC exams this year.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/j/3/c/7/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk51kj.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Alexandra Smith Each student will have their English exams read by at least 11 markers and their maths exams checked by at least six markers.
Arthur Phillip students' special consideration
![HSC exams will proceed as usual at Arthur Phillip High, in Parramatta.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/2/n/j/g/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gk4ezo.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Alexandra Smith Students at Arthur Phillip High, in Parramatta, will sit their HSC exams at the school next week as planned but will be able to ask for special consideration.
No advantage to being multi-lingual
![Researcher, Sharynne McLeod says there is no advantage or disadvantage to speaking multiple languages in terms of school ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/z/w/q/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjz4zr.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw Being multi-lingual has no academic advantage, an Australian study of 5000 children has found.
HSC integrity jeopardised by 'weak' security
![Security systems to protect HSC data were exposed by simple hacking skills.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/i/y/r/y/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjk3o8.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw The Department of Education has been slammed for failing to implement basic security features to protect the integrity of up to 50 per cent of HSC marks in every school across NSW.
Quality concerns as marking moves overseas
![The University of Sydney.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/o/j/y/r/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjrdjd.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw The National Tertiary Education Union has lashed out at a decision to push marking for the test that allows international students into Australian universities, online.
Turnbull may be Gonski's saviour: Piccoli
![NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/7/a/y/8/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjok0i.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw Adrian Piccoli hopes the Prime Minister has learnt the lesson of the Coalition's backflip on schools funding.
Call to teach teens about egg freezing
![A Melbourne homeopath accused of posing as a gynaecologist and IVF expert is expected to face more charges in the ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/1/m/a/x/r/a/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjm6fa.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw A leading fertility specialist has suggested that children be taught about family planning from an early age.
School chaplains change Gayby controversy
![Presbyterian minister Mark Powell wanted Gayby Baby banned.](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/j/c/l/q/z/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjqefn.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Kirsty Needham The NSW Education Department will seek to break the dominance of Generate Ministries in schools after the Gayby Baby controversy.
IT 'disaster' could have built 20 schools
![SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 10: NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli poses with School Children at Condell Park ...](/web/20160326020406im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/h/u/g/9/5/image.related.thumbnail.90x60.gjbchm.11n0jl.png/1445718323936.jpg)
Eryk Bagshaw The bungled roll-out of a new IT system across the state's public education system could have built up to 20 new schools.