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China has issued a warning for students travelling to Australia.
Opinion
Dan Tehan

Proposed overhaul of university fees nothing short of radical

Liberal arts graduates are taught to question power and democracy. It's tempting to see this move as a step towards cultivating compliant, "quiet Australians" instead.

  • by Tim Soutphommasane

Latest

Dan Tehan has proposed significant changes to fees for university courses.
Opinion
Dan Tehan

A simpler reset could have met Dan Tehan's education aims

The central concern is that the winners from the package will get discounts to study courses they would have chosen anyway.

  • by Andrew Norton
The architect of the HECS loans system has downplayed the impact of the government's university fee overhaul.
Exclusive
Dan Tehan

Uni fee overhaul won't change demand or affordability: HECS architect

The man who designed the HECS loan system says it shields students from price signals, so the government's changes won't have the desired effect.

  • by Fergus Hunter
Minister for Education Dan Tehan at the National Press Club in Canberra.
Editorial
Editorial

The agony and ecstasy of a degree in humanities

The federal government should not gut arts degrees to pay for STEM courses.

  • The Herald's View
The government is unveiling an overhaul of university funding to incentive students into priority areas.
Dan Tehan

Cost of priority degrees to be slashed, some fees to soar in funding overhaul

Teaching, health, IT, engineering and science degrees will be cheaper than arts, commerce and law degrees under a federal government university funding overhaul.

  • by Fergus Hunter
Ghost towns ... the near-empty University of Sydney campus.
Opinion
Gladys Berejiklian

It's high time universities gave students what they're paying for

Schools, shops, gyms, pubs and even stadiums are coming back, but universities will keep depriving students of the face-to-face education their fees are paying for.

  • by Matthew Moore
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Schools

'Everybody is nicer': Students given tools to intervene against racism in schools

Anti-racism pilot program in NSW schools gives students skills to stand up to racist behaviour and reduce discrimination.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
ATARs for some popular courses are likely to sour next year unless universities can find more domestic places
University Of Sydney

ATAR cut-offs to soar without more uni places to meet surging demand

ATAR cut-offs for popular courses will rise unless universities can offer more places for domestic students amid a surge in demand due to the COVID-19 economic downturn

  • by Jordan Baker
Adult education students were recruited despite having limited computer skills.
Education

Captain Cook College staff recruited illiterate students who couldn't use a computer: court

Staff who worked at the college, which has campuses in Sydney and Brisbane, have raised concerns about the ability of students with limited language and computer skills to complete the courses.

  • by Anna Patty
The Australian National University and University of Canberra are jointly backing a pilot program to restart international student arrivals.
Coronavirus pandemic

International students to fly to Canberra next month under pilot program

The Australian National University and University of Canberra hope the trial will set the stage for large-scale arrivals across the country.

  • by Fergus Hunter
The NSW Teachers Federation wants year 12 students to receive an extra 10 hours of teaching in each subject.
Teaching

Teachers union wants government to provide extra lessons for year 12

The NSW Teachers Federation has called for a year 12 catch-up package, involving 10 extra hours of teaching in each HSC subject, in each school.

  • by Jordan Baker
Lucy Fang is lobbying for the inclusion of mandatory service-learning in the national curriculum.
Opinion
Opinion

I'm trying to ace my HSC but I see the value in volunteering

Education in the 21st century has to be about more than academic achievement and that's where compulsory community service comes in.

  • by Lucy Fang
An artist's impression of Jordan Springs Public School, which will open to students next term.
Education

'Trailblazer' Sydney school assembled in months with new technique

Jordan Springs Public School is the first of five schools completed under a state government pilot program in which 95 per cent of the school is built in factories off-site.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Construction of Jordan Springs Public School. Vision: NSW Government
0:57
National

Jordan Springs school time-lapse

Construction of Jordan Springs Public School. Vision: NSW Government

The Grattan Institute says the federal government should invest more than $1 billion in helping students disadvantaged by COVID-19
Schools

Students 'need $1.1 billion to close remote-learning gap'

The gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students grew at triple the usual rate during remote schooling, a report has found.

  • by Jordan Baker
Map showing decline of foreign students living in Sydney.
University of New South Wales

'It's not just a university problem': The drop in international students being felt across Sydney's suburbs

In Kingsford, overseas students are one-third of the population. Chinese restaurant owner Sharon Chan said they represent 60 per cent of her customers, and she wants them back.

  • by Jordan Baker, Nigel Gladstone and Natassia Chrysanthos
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International students have stopped coming to Australia since coronavirus-related travel restrictions took effect.
Coronavirus pandemic

The Melbourne suburbs the international student drought will hit hardest

International students made up almost 40 per cent of the population of some Melbourne suburbs, but those numbers have shrunk by a quarter due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • by Adam Carey
****HOLD FOR SUN HERALD HSC STORY*****  Year 12 Gilroy College student and competative Cheerleader Maddy Wahab, in her bedroom at her Kellyville home. contact 0423 173385 19th May 2020 Photo  SMH
HSC

Coming of age during COVID-19; the challenges facing the class of 2020

The class of 2020 is coming of age in a pandemic, the most severe in 100 years. After a stressful HSC year, they will graduate into a very different world from the one they expected.

  • by Jordan Baker and Louise Kennerley
Universities face a "very painful" period, according to their regulator.
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic

University regulator predicts sector will shrink but survive pandemic

The head of the higher education regulator does not believe any universities are at immediate risk of closure because of the revenue downturn.

  • by Fergus Hunter
Harb Gill, desk editor at The Age
Opinion
Opinion

A rage that is not in isolation

In my quiet suburban home, the rage wakes me at four in the morning, refusing to be shushed. Multiply that by millions around the world and you have an outrage that is definitely not in isolation.

  • by Harb Gill
Laguna Street Public School in Caringbah will close for 10 days after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
Primary school

Sydney school to close after staff member tests positive for COVID-19

Laguna Street Public School in Sydney's south will close for more than 10 days after a staff member who "had contact with most students" tested positive for COVID-19.

  • by Pallavi Singhal
The Prime Minister has backed pilot programs for international students to return.
Education

International students could start returning next month under pilot program

Universities warn there is still work to be done before international students can arrive for semester two under pilot programs backed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

  • by Fergus Hunter
Rose Bay Public School is closed on June 12 after an unconfirmed case of coronavirus in the community.
Primary school

Rose Bay Public School closed as coronavirus case confirmed

It is the third eastern suburbs school to be closed since the state's children returned to classrooms full-time.

  • by Mary Ward
Jeremy is a law student at the University of Sydney.
Exclusive
University

Chinese students see political motive in Beijing's call to stay away

Chinese students often suffer from exclusion in Australia though racist violence is rare, study finds, contrary to warnings from China's Ministry of Education.

  • by Adam Carey, Fergus Hunter and Matt Bungard
Universities could argue it’s not their role or responsibility to provide careers advice to every one of their tens of thousands of enrolling students.
Opinion
Opinion

We need to avoid our own 'obsession with university'

An "enrolment at all costs" mindset is not the answer for universities or the students press-ganged into funding them in desperate times.

  • by Sue Green
COMAC's flagship C919 plane, its rival to Boeing and Airbus models.
Exclusive
Daniel Andrews

Australian uni continuing work on Chinese plane linked to espionage claims

Monash University is pushing ahead with a deal to help a Chinese company build a new passenger plane, despite concerns some of the designs have been stolen.

  • by Anthony Galloway and Fergus Hunter
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Some school activities will be able to resume from Monday
Schools

Stand up straight: school assemblies, choirs and class photos will resume next Monday

Principals have been told that class photos, choirs and assemblies can resume on Monday and inter-school sport, music and debating next term.

  • by Jordan Baker
Vice chancellors warn it could take five years for international student numbers to recover
University Of Sydney

International student market will take five years to recover

VIce-chancellors are urging governments to act quickly on a so-called safe corridor that would allow international students to return to Australia.

  • by Jordan Baker
A new two-tiered fee system is being considered.
Exclusive
University

'Chinese students will not go there': Beijing education agents warn Australia

The first signs are emerging that warnings from Beijing will have an impact on student numbers, posing a threat to $3.1 billion in university fee revenue.

  • by Eryk Bagshaw, Fergus Hunter and Sanghee Liu
Protesters throw a statue of slave trader Edward Colston into the Bristol harbour this week.
Education

Subjects on US slavery and fascism slated for cuts at Sydney University

"It's disappointing news to hear as a student, and deeply concerning given the current global anti-racist movement," said history student Annabel Pettit.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
The school attendance gap is growing.
Black Lives Matter

Indigenous students' school attendance gap grows

The average attendance rate for Indigenous students was 81.5 per cent last year, compared with 92 per cent for non-Indigenous students.

  • by Madeleine Heffernan
Stuart Ryan, director of pastoral care at the Shore School and Year 12 student Lachlan Brewer.
Private schools

Boys' education: Teaching boys how to become good men

New school programs aim to see boys develop into adults who are compassionate, resilient, and capable of reflection and leadership.

  • by Mal Chenu
Sue Floro, head of Knox Prep School.
Private schools

Boys' education: How to forge future-ready young men with big hearts

Boys-only schools argue they can tailor their curriculum, teaching and environment to cater for the ways boys think and learn.

  • by Fran Molloy
Getting active and being outside is part of experiential learning, but not all of it.
Private schools

Boys' education: How to get boys to engage, at school and at home

The key is allowing boys to be active learners, not passive recipients of information.

  • by Jeff Mann
ANU has remained Australia's top-ranked university in QS international rankings.
Education

Five Australian universities in world's top 50, but progress stalls

A fall in teaching capacity and a declining reputation among employers hinders rankings.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion
Queen's Birthday Honours

Honours list gets an upgrade

Followed by a cultural exchange for Ausmericans.

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Waverley College students leaving school in May after a student was diagnosed with COVID-19
Private schools

Students back at Waverley, Moriah as COVID sources remain a mystery

After a student tested positive to COVID-19, Waverley College will change its policy to allow students to carry their phones in case contact testing is required again.

  • by Jordan Baker
This year's test will be delayed until September.
Education

Opportunity classes test delayed due to COVID-19

The test for year 4 students won't be held until September, will not include class assessments and the results will not be able to be appealed.

  • by Jordan Baker
Will Delezio was hoping to make a satire for English Ext 2, before he learned the film would no longer be marked
HSC

The HSC 'passion projects' derailed by COVID-19

Students studying creative or collaborative HSC subjects have been hardest hit by changes caused by the pandemic.

  • by Jordan Baker
Boys will need new skills for 21st century workplaces.
Innovation in education

Boys' education: How to tap into boys' strengths and learning styles

Five research-based recommendations for educating and raising boys.

  • by Dr Ian Lillico
A program at some primary schools in Sydney's east employs cultural educators and has boosted student engagement with Aboriginal culture and history.
Exclusive
Indigenous culture

Each Australian school should employ an Indigenous educator: World Vision

The role would involve providing cultural education in the classroom, as well as co-ordinating visits from local Aboriginal community members and 'on-country' learning experiences.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
High-achieving student Manjot Kaur has started handing in assessments late since learning moved online.
Coronavirus pandemic

Students fear lost semester of learning as universities plan for campus return

For thousands of university students, online learning was not what they paid for. Motivation has dropped and many fear they haven't learnt content they need to progress their degrees.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Helen Zammit with her children Antonia, Claire, Ethan and Annabelle who are students at St Mark's Catholic College in Stanhope Gardens.
Primary school

'A great opportunity': What COVID schooling taught parents about their kids

Weeks of remote schooling due to COVID-19 has given parents new insight into their children's learning.

  • by Jordan Baker and Natassia Chrysanthos
International students have faced significant challenges because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Exclusive
Education

'Fallen on deaf ears': Education providers stressed by student visa uncertainty

Universities are increasingly frustrated with the government's failure to announce visa relief for students affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

  • by Fergus Hunter
Drew Pavlou, centre, at a protest outside the Chinese consulate in Brisbane the day the University of Queensland said he would be suspended for two years.
City life

Suspended student accuses UQ of bullying after no date given for appeal

The student, who organised protests against the Chinese Communist Party, says he is in "limbo' awaiting a date for the hearing by the UQ Senate’s Disciplinary Appeals Committee.

  • by Tony Moore
Education Minister Dan Tehan
University

Universities count their losses, government sharpens its claws

If the federal government had goodwill towards universities, JobKeeper could have been made available to them. Liberal Senator James Paterson says there is little to none.

  • by Chip Le Grand
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Faced with major cuts to their reserach budgets, universities acknowledge they need to do things differently
University Of Sydney

'It gets ugly': Universities brace for major reform to save research

Seven local universities are in the world's top 100. But the drop in overseas student fees means the sector needs major reform if Australia wants them to stay there.

  • by Jordan Baker
Australia's top universities say the sector needs reform, and are coming up with their own blueprint
Exclusive
University Of Sydney

'All over red rover': Top unis drive biggest overhaul in 30 years

The country's top universities say the sector needs to be reformed, but smaller universities argue that will come at their expense.

  • by Jordan Baker and Anna Patty
Peter Shergold wants the ATAR to be supplemented with a learner profile
Schools

Education chief blames ATAR for 'profoundly distorting' final years of school

A learner profile should supplement the ATAR, and include life lessons learned working at McDonalds, or caring for others, says the new NESA chair

  • by Jordan Baker
Vocational education and training has suffered from "ad hoc" policy enrolment declines.
Education

Governments challenged to shake up 'Byzantine' vocational education system

A Productivity Commission report has found the skills sector is "underperforming, excessively complicated and suffers from ad hoc policy approaches".

  • by Fergus Hunter