National

Graduation.

Taxpayers foot the bill for $9 million diplomas

Taxpayers paid $9 million per graduate in one year at a private Sydney college, an analysis of Department of Education data reveals, as the full cost of the government's failed vocational education program looks set to be revealed in the wake of its decision to shut down the scheme.

Pre-kindy bootcamp 'a waste of parents' time and money'

Nicholas Quaratiello at the school readiness centre

It's 9am on Friday and four-year-old Nicholas has bowled up to class in Leichhardt's Italian Forum, he's sheepishly holding a piece of paper in his hand. It's his homework, he says, as he presents it to his "school readiness" teacher, Violeta Dimeska.

'I don't want to risk my child': Asbestos fears near Sydney primary school

Primary school student Jessica Cooper.

It's a former industrial site in Pagewood, capped in cracking cement and tufted weeds, soon to be transformed into 256 "luxury" apartments by a Chinese-backed developer. The real estate sell promises gold detailing, marble countertops, rose gold taps and, private landscaped gardens. So far, so Sydney. 

'Lead hot spot' on Sydney school site

wentworth park school site

A "pop-up" primary school for 300 children at Wentworth Park in Ultimo will escape environmental scrutiny, despite lead contamination at the site and the takeover of public recreation space.

Dastyari donor steps down from university post

Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr and  Huang Xiangmo.

Huang Xiangmo, the Chinese businessman who paid a personal bill of Labor senator Sam Dastyari, has resigned as Chair of the China institute at UTS over "coverage about political donations and supposed Chinese influence".

How to get a scholarship in two minutes

Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, Skills Minister John Barilaro (centre) and NSW Premier Mike Baird.

Private colleges are offering 100 per cent NSW taxpayer funded scholarships with minimal government oversight at the same time as the national regulator attempts to claw back hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding on the scandal plagued vocational education sector.

New preschool funding misses 70pc of children

More funds for preschool places.

The cost of childcare to the bulk of NSW families could actually increase after the government's multi-million dollar funding boost to the early childhood sector, industry sources say. 

The fallacy of single-sex education

Year 3 students sit the NAPLAN test in 2015.

A review of 1.6 million students has failed to find any advantages to single-sex education, says the former president of American Psychological Association Diane Halpern.