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Education

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The government is going to apply credits to all student debts that were indexed on June 1 last year, and June 1 this year.

How the changes to higher education debts will affect you

How will the changes to HECS indexation actually work? And how much do you stand to benefit? Here’s a quick guide.

  • by Rachel Clun

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Hundreds of vocational and english colleges are at risk of closure, the sector says
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Colleges face mass closures as students from whole continents banned

Hundreds of private colleges face closure as the government pushes ahead with its plan to slash migration.

  • by Daniella White
Former NASA JPL deputy director Larry D. James (left) and Professor Christopher Lawrence from Monash University.

Former NASA boss arrives to boost Australian space race

Lt Gen Larry James has moved to Australia to increase our teaching and research capability.

  • by Stephen Brook
The pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Sydney.

Sydney pro-Palestinian students suspended after classes ‘significantly disrupted’

The university says some students have gone beyond the bounds of acceptable behaviour in protesting against the Israel-Gaza war.

  • by Daniella White
Rizina Yadav attended an Ivy League university

Thousands of Australians want a place at a top US university. Here’s how Rizina got hers

Australian students vying for entry to elite US and UK universities are beginning their college preparations from as young as 12.

  • by Daniella White
Students rally at the Pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Melbourne on Friday.
Opinion

I support the right to protest, but these Melbourne Uni students should be expelled

What’s now occurring at the university has crossed a line and is negatively impacting many other students. An environment that legitimises antisemitism has been fostered.

  • by Matthew Bach
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School funds disappearing.
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‘A lot of angst’: Sydney principals spooked as school funds vanish

The removal of funds from schools’ bank accounts comes after a funding freeze and coincides with a $10,000 pay rise for teachers.

  • by Christopher Harris
Girls’ wellbeing is a particular concerns in the latest analysis of Australia’s PISA data.

‘Girls are struggling the most’: What’s really going on in our schools

Australian teenagers are more likely to feel unsafe and bullied at school than their international peers, while schoolgirls are highly anxious without their digital devices.

  • by Robyn Grace and Lucy Carroll
Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott.

Nearly half of Sydney Uni’s students come from overseas

The institution was the only NSW university to post a surplus in 2023, although it underpaid casual academics about $70 million.

  • by Daniella White
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Opinion

How to get a handle on your citizens

While garnering goodwill at the family helpdesk.

There are many benefits to reading physical books.
Opinion

Push to ditch physical books reignites tablet versus textbook debate

The proliferation of technology in classrooms leaves educators facing the question of how to make the most of the ways it can support learning without increasing students’ exposure to the negatives.

  • by The Herald's View
Rosa Brown was concerned when her local public school switched from traditional books to an e-library for kindergarten students under their home reading program.
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Parents push back after school’s decision to ditch books for screens

An inner west public primary school has told parents that students will use an e-library rather than physical books for their home reading program.

  • by Lucy Carroll
The founder of The Chastity Project Jason Evert is due to speak in NSW Catholic schools next week.

‘Love or lust’: Travelling chastity preacher at schools sparks parent backlash

The virtues of modesty and virginity will be discussed at the talks, which parents have criticised as outdated.

  • by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
Former Sydney University academic Tim Anderson.

Lecturer sacked over Nazi swastika incident loses bid to get reinstated

Controversial political economy academic Tim Anderson’s job was terminated after he showed students slides featuring the symbol imposed over the Israeli flag.

  • by Daniella White
Immigration levels and higher education.

‘Chaos reigns’: The countries that have dodged Australia’s student visa crackdown

The government wants universities to cut their reliance on this market. It’s also a country with one of the highest visa approval rates.

  • by Daniella White
This girl was raped by a boy from her grade at school.
Graphic content

A boy forced himself on a girl at a NSW high school. He was allowed to continue attending

Schools still don’t know how to respond to sexual assault between classmates, two years after the state government commissioned a review about what to do when a sex assault victim and perpetrator attended the same school.

  • by Jordan Baker
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Ambitious students are punished when it comes to ATAR because there is little payoff for taking trickier mathematics.

Doing hard maths for the HSC isn’t paying off. Here’s how it plays out for your ATAR

A quirk of the ATAR system is effectively punishing ambitious students. Compare these questions to see the difficulty levels.

  • by Christopher Harris
Education Minister Jason Clare has announced a series of measures to rein in the influx of international students.

Universities face bans for breaching foreign student caps

The dramatic intervention, introduced by Education Minister Jason Clare in parliament, aims to force down migration.

  • by Angus Thompson
There have been more than 17,000 applications for entry to NSW selective schools in 2024.
Opinion

Our friends are shocked we don’t send our son to a private school. Here’s why

As an outsider, I see Australia’s selective and private schools mainly as a mechanism that perpetuates social inequality.

  • by Theun Pieter van Tienoven
Students say they want support to quit vaping, rather than to be punished.
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As schools struggle for teachers, even $28,000 bonuses aren’t enough

A new survey of 6800 educators across NSW shows an increase in teachers leaving public education for a position in a private school.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Education Minister Jason Clare.

Growing numbers of students with disability to cost $1.1 billion more in school funding

As more students need help, budget figures raise the stakes in tense government negotiations over spending on schools and the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
METROS ONLY for BUDGET 2024. case studies

We asked these Australians what they thought of the budget. This is what they told us

We spoke to people about their thoughts and concerns ahead of, and immediately after, the budget. Here’s what they had to say.

  • by Olivia Ireland, Josefine Ganko, Jessica McSweeney, Jim Malo, Alex Crowe, Megan Gorrey and Cara Waters
Students and supporters attend a rally protesting Israel’s war in Gaza at an encampment at the University of Sydney earlier this month.
Opinion

Students have a right to protest. Peacefully. On campus. Universities must be defended

Calls for “intifada” are antisemitic, but it is not clear that police should end an entire protest in response to isolated criminal offences.

  • by Alan Finkel
Tom Bennett in Sydney on Tuesday.

Tom once sat at the back of his classroom and cried. He has a message for Australian teachers

If teachers are to win back control of classrooms, they will need more than a well-planned lesson.

  • by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
How the government will double the number of university students is not clear.

Labor backs compulsory fee payment to student unions

The government is mandating universities pass on 40 per cent of student amenities fees to student unions.

  • by Angus Thompson and Natassia Chrysanthos
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How the budget affects you – from students to retirees

Young or old, single or married: this is how the 2024 budget will impact your life.

  • by Rachel Clun and Olivia Ireland
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Education Minister Jason Clare.

Cut reliance on Chinese and Indian students, government tells universities

University chiefs are being told to channel international students into courses that fill Australian skills shortages, deepening a dispute over federal plans to cap their annual intake.

  • by David Crowe and Daniella White
A pro-Palestinian protest at the Monash University encampment last week.
Exclusive

Labor to unveil university racism review

Tuesday’s budget is expected to include new funding for an investigation of racism in higher education as two teals back Coalition calls for an antisemitism inquiry.

  • by Paul Sakkal and Natassia Chrysanthos
Rushi Vyas, a student who was falsely accused of AI cheating at UNSW

Rushi was accused of using AI to cheat. It took him weeks to clear his name

Students are being falsely accused of plagiarism as universities turn to imperfect tools to detect the unauthorised use of AI.

  • by Daniella White
Year 10 students in a Latin class at Sydney Grammar.

‘Ultimate distraction’: Why this top Sydney school has resisted screens in class

While many students are asked to bring their own devices into schools across the state, some are resisting the trend to have iPads or laptops in lessons.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Education Minister Jason Clare.
Exclusive

Inside Labor’s drastic cap on overseas students – and the urgent meeting it’s triggered

Universities will be forced to stop a surge in overseas students, sparking fears about the impact on the $48 billion industry.

  • by David Crowe
Yarra Valley Grammar School principal, Mark Merry.
Opinion

Expelling problem students sounds impressive. But all it does is pass the buck

In kicking the can of responsibility for the Yarra Valley Grammar students who ranked their female classmates to another school, parents are missing the point.

  • by Adam Voigt
The migration fight between Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil and Coalition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan will feature prominently in political debate this year.
Exclusive

International students are trying to stay on in record numbers

Coalition sources said immigration and homeownership would be central to Peter Dutton’s budget-in-reply speech as he develops an anti-“Big Australia” election narrative.

  • by Paul Sakkal
Australia has a pretty good student loan scheme, but it’s affected by inflation.

HECS burden stifling productivity

Education Minister Jason Clare needs to change our student debt system, not just patch it.

An older-style unflued gas heater, photographed at Katoomba High School in 2009.

‘Banned’ school heaters still in use across thousands of classrooms

Unflued gas heaters have been banned in other states for their asthma risks, but are still found in more than 1400 NSW schools.

  • by Mary Ward
Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Updated

Australia set to back watered-down United Nations resolution on Palestine

Australian government sources said a watered-down version of the motion contained major concessions by the Palestinians and Arab nations.

  • by James Massola and Matthew Knott
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Sydney schools

Who’s bankrolling Sydney’s private school fees? The bank of nan and pop

More parents are missing school payments as they struggle with massive mortgage payments. Cashed-up baby boomers are here to help.

  • by Christopher Harris
A clash developed at a pro-Palestinian encampment at Monash University on Wednesday when pro-Israel supporters attempted to storm a stage where speeches were being conducted.

Sydney, Monash unis warn students as Dreyfus refuses legal advice

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus noted that people could make a complaint under the Racial Discrimination Act if they were concerned about phrases being used by protesters.

  • by James Massola, David Crowe, Daniella White and Sherryn Groch
Veyaan Singh sat the test on Thursday.

‘Publish the marks’: Parents bristle at secret selective school entry scores

Parents like Rav Singh are annoyed that his son Veyaan, who sat the test on Thursday, doesn’t know where he stands.

  • by Christopher Harris
Chifley College, in North St Marys, was sent into lockdown after reports of a student with a knife on Thursday.

Student with knife sends Sydney school into lockdown, staff member injured

A Sydney school was sent into lockdown after a student allegedly brought a knife to school. A teacher was cut while disarming the teenager.

  • by Perry Duffin
An uneasy stand-off formed at Melbourne University this month between a Jewish community rally and students protesting against university ties to weapons companies and Israel’s war in Gaza.
Opinion

When uni students endorse terror, it’s time for political intervention

The university protests in Australia arising from the Israel-Gaza conflict have moved beyond a debate about free speech.

  • by David Crowe
Aisha Khodary has spent almost every night at the Monash encampment.
Opinion

Uni protests are messy, but they prove that campuses have come back to life

A sad legacy of lockdowns is that too many of us are unable to stop and listen to another side. But the noise of the encampments shows that campuses have come back to life.

  • by Alexandra Wake
Students and supportrers attend a rally protesting Israel’s war in Gaza at an encampment at University of Sydney.
Exclusive

University chiefs seek federal advice on ‘intifada’ calls

The universities have written to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to gain formal advice on whether the pro-Palestinian demand is a breach of federal law.

  • by David Crowe
Palestinian and Israeli supporters confront each other at Monash University on Wednesday.
Exclusive

University orders removal of ‘Zionist not welcome’ signs as protests escalate

As scuffles broke out at a pro-Palestine encampment at an Australian university, the institution confirmed it was acting after days of pressure on vice chancellors.

  • by Paul Sakkal and Alex Crowe
This book prompted complaints from parents, councillor Steve Christou said.
Editorial

Same-sex families don’t just belong in Newtown: they belong everywhere

The ugly topic of censorship made an unwelcome return to the headlines this week.

  • The Herald's View
Boys from Yarra Valley Grammar have been suspended for ranking girls in categories on a chat group.
Opinion

What are the consequences of being a ‘wifey’ or ‘unrapable’? I hope those girls never find out

When my own high school rating list came out, that ranking stayed with me forever. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

  • by Katy Hall
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ASIC has had its first major greenwashing court win, as Vanguard was found liable of misleading consumers.

More than 40 staff at northern beaches school targeted with malware by colleague

Police say school staff had personal information including credit card details allegedly stolen by Aaron Pennesi. Police also allegedly found child abuse material.

  • by Sally Rawsthorne
Anna Bligh, chief executive of the Australian Banking Association,
Exclusive

Banks open to overlooking student debt in home loans – but there’s a catch

The banks say it should be up to financial regulators to determine whether student debt gets special treatment in mortgage assessments.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos and Angus Thompson
Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Cyber Security Clare O’Neil
Exclusive

Minister vows to ‘weed out the bottom feeders’ in university system

Private colleges have been told to stop recruiting fake overseas students within six months or risk losing their licences.

  • by David Crowe
School enrolment figures have been released for 2024.
Exclusive

Revealed: Sydney’s most overcrowded primary and high schools

While one public school has hit 2200 students, others are sitting underused with room for hundreds more pupils. Search the full list to see how crowded your school is.

  • by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone