The " Education" enigma !

It seems that the question of " education " will come front and centre again on Monday when an enquiry by David Gonski, Chancellor of the University of New South Wales is released.   Unfortunately, in the minds of most people the education issue is simply a tug of war between private and public schools for a share of funding.

Teachers and the Greens demand that the public system get a $ 10 billion upgrade, but what is really needed is a review of what we are hoping to achieve when kids finish school and head out into the work force.  At present, the education system operates like a giant funnel, channelling the output into mass produced clones who have achieved a piece of paper called " the Higher School certificate ".

This is certainly essential for those who are going on to university, and these days that has become the starting point for an ever increasing number of professions.  The " learn on the job " days are over.  In particular, two of the essential careers for women - nursing and teaching - are closed to those who are not university educated.

One of the problems is that this system forces a mix of kids who will go on to university to share a classroom with others who are not academically interested and who are heading off to some sort of trade career path.    All that produces is an unruly class that brings benefit to neither group.

The TAFE system is supposed to provide a forked path between university and trade careers, but the timing is all wrong.   The TAFE option cuts in well into high school years, and by then the damage is done when those not academically gifted have been forced to co-exist beside those with a need and desire for higher learning.

There is also a perception problem.   Those who are going on to get their HSC and enter university are seen as an elite by many, and in comparison - those going to TAFE are seen by some as " losers " - and yet the earning capacity of both groups has been steadily  narrowing in past decades.

The " trades " are highly skilled and very well paid careers, and yet this is the area that is most neglected as our education system seems concentrated on achieving an HSC output.

Kids may be forced to make a career choice much earlier than in the past, and their education may have to diverge almost from the end of primary school days to get the best out of a future education system - and without much doubt - we need to spend more money to get the system right.

Unfortunately, getting it right is unlikely to happen from the tabling of this report because we are in a period of political uncertainty.    The world economic system is on shaky ground, and here in Australia we are facing a Federal election next year - and that makes biting the bullet and making drastic changes to education an unlikely option !