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Australia : Organisation/control of education system

Last updated: 10-Jun-2008
2.1 Organisation and control of system/structure
2.1.1 Control
2.1.2 Funding
2.1.3 Private sector education 

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This information is intended to provide the background context of structure and control, within which the curriculum and assessment frameworks are implemented.

2.1 Organisation and control of system/structure

2.1.1 Control

National

Australia - often known as the Commonwealth of Australia - comprises six States (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia) and two Territories (the Australian Capital Territory - ACT and the Northern Territory) and has a federal system of government. Since the formation of the Australian federation in 1901, the Ministers of Education in the States and Territories have had constitutional responsibility for school education, that is, primary and secondary schooling; student enrolment policies; determination of curriculum content; course accreditation and certification procedures; and methods of student assessment. However, although there are eight individual state systems, in most respects, the commonalities of the state systems outweigh their differences.²²⁴

In addition, the federal Government plays an important national role in considering schooling more broadly, in the context of a nation undergoing significant social and economic adjustment and dependent upon a well-educated workforce. In cooperation with the individual States and Territories, the Commonwealth plays a significant role in addressing resourcing, equity and quality issues through its general recurrent, capital and specific purpose programmes. It also has specific responsibilities for Aboriginal people and migrants and is responsible for international relations in education.^31,54

The federal Government still plays a significant role in funding the education of the indigenous people and migrants, as well as multicultural education, Asian studies and womens's studies. In addition, the federal Government promotes national consistency and coherence in the provision of education across Australia. ⁵⁴

Each of the State/Territory Governments is responsible for determining acceptable teacher qualifications, recruiting and appointing teachers in (publicly funded) government schools and supplying buildings, equipment and materials, as well as for establishing and paying teachers' salaries, setting school curricula etc. ⁵⁴

In sum, educational policy-making consists of the Australian federal Government - through the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) - determining and funding broad policies dealing with 'the national interest' from time to time.  Policies relating specifically to schooling are determined by the State/Territory governments and administered through the respective Ministers for Education, who issue guidelines for schools to follow. Within these ministerial guidelines, the implementation of some policies may require negotiations to take place between schools and their local communities through School Councils. Formal lines of accountability mean that teachers in government schools are responsible, in an administrative sense, to their principal (not to their School Council) and, in a legal sense, to their Minister for Education who, in turn, is responsible to the ruling State/Territory Government. The key national body is the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) which, in 1994, succeeded the Australian Education Council (AEC).  This comprises the Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for the portfolios of education, employment, training and youth affairs, with Papua New Guinea having observer status. ⁴⁴  It meets on a biannual basis to discuss issues of mutual interest and to coordinate collaborative policies and approaches and generally to facilitate the exchange of information on education in Australia and overseas.^31, 13   There has, in recent years, been an increased degree of cooperation between different levels of government, leading to some genuinely national policies for schools, for higher education and for vocational education and training (VET).³¹ 

There are three educational sectors: schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. The schools sector is divided into government schools, administered by States and Territories (approximately 70 per cent of the school population), and non-government schools, which are further divided into non-government Catholic schools (approximately 25 per cent), a few non-government Anglican schools and independent schools (the remainder). ³¹

Ministers whose portfolios include school education are responsible for both government schools and non-government schools. The MCEETYA has, as a matter of principle, established a range of consultative mechanisms at federal and State levels to obtain the views of the non-government school sector and, whenever possible, extends membership of its working parties and committees to the major national bodies representing the non-government employing authorities: the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) and the National Council of Independent Schools Associations (NCISA). Regular consultation also takes place with the principal national bodies representing:

• parents - the Australian Council of State Schools Organisations (ACSSO), representing government school parents and the Australian Parents Council (APC), representing non-government school parents;
• teachers - the Australian Education Union (AEU), representing government school teachers and the Independent Teachers Federation of Australia (ITFA), representing non-government school teachers;
• the business sector - the National Industry Education Forum (NIEF) representing a range of major industry bodies, including the Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). ⁴⁴

In addition, two national research and development companies, partly or wholly funded by Commonwealth and State Ministers of Education, facilitate cooperative initiatives in schooling:

• The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), founded in 1930, undertakes, promotes, disseminates and markets research and development projects, including educational and psychological tests.
• The Curriculum Corporation, which commenced operation in its current form in 1990, develops and publishes curriculum materials resulting from national collaboration. (The Curriculum Corporation was originally established in the 1970s under a different name.) ^44, 70

Queensland

School education is the responsibility of the Department of Education, Training and the Arts: http://education.qld.gov.au/

The four main parents groups in Queensland:

• the Queensland Council of Parents and Citizens Association, which draws its members from parents of children in state schools
• the Federation of Parents and Friends Association, representing Catholic parents
• the Isolated Children's Parents Assocation and
• the Queensland Independent Schools Parents Council (formed in 2003)

meet individually and as a joint parent committee with the Minister for Education.  These regular meetings aim to ensure that all parent groups have an organised voice and can communicate effectively with the Government.²²³ 

Tasmania

School education in Tasmania is the responsibility of the Department of Education: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/

District Offices

Tasmania is divided into school districts. The functions of the District Office are:

• to review and monitor each school's progress in the implementation of an approved school plan and facilitate change consequential to the review;
• to monitor, evaluate and report on the achievement, within the district, of centrally determined goals and priorities;
• to provide broad educational leadership and coordination across the Kindergarten -Year 12 continuum within the district (students aged 4/5+ to 18) in the context of local school management;
• to ensure that there is an equitable allocation of resources, services and teaching staff and that the selection of senior staff for schools takes place in accordance with State, Service and Department requirements;
• to participate in the formulation and communication of departmental policies by providing advice and information including the views of the district;
• to represent the Department at the local level and ensure that it is responsive to community needs, and to foster opportunities for schools and their communities to celebrate the educational achievements of students;
• to assist schools in becoming better at self- management. ³⁰

Local school management

The school is part of the Department of Education and is therefore responsible to the Government through the Department of Education. But, the school also has a responsibility to the community in a client-provider relationship. ⁶²

The process of local school management is defined as a significant and consistent decentralisation to the school level of authority to make decisions related to teaching and learning and the utilisation of resources. It provides schools and colleges with a capacity to manage continuing change within available levels of resources. At the heart of this concept is the provision for every school to have the opportunity to determine the approaches to teaching and learning and the resourcing of these which will address best the particular mix of educational needs in the school. Decisions at the school level are made within a framework of State and national goals, policies and priorities. ⁶²

The school has responsibility for:

• the articulation of its values and beliefs about learning and teaching;
• addressing the needs of students in respect of both State-wide and local contexts;
• implementation of goals and priorities for learning which are established centrally and locally;
• establishing frameworks and schedules for the achievement of goals and priorities;
• developing frameworks for learning and teaching practices including the implementation of curriculum guidelines;
• the allocation of resources according to priorities for learning;
• mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on individual student progress and achievement;
• mechanisms for monitoring, evaluating and reporting on the performance of the school in meeting the needs of students and achieving the goals and priorities established by the Centre and the local community. ⁶²

School Councils

The Minister may establish (interim) School Councils whose functions are as follows:

• to develop the School Charter;
• to determine the school policies within the framework of the School Charter;
• to monitor the progress of the school plans and budget;
• to make recommendations in relation to reports made by the principal;
• to participate on the selection panel in respect of an advertised permanent vacancy for the position of principal;
• to provide a means of communication and information between the school and the community;
  to advise the Minister on any matter relating to the policy;
• any other function the Minister determines. ⁶

The powers of the School Council are:

• to approve the school plan and budget;
• to establish the student dress code;
• to approve the school's annual report;
• to participate in the selection panel in respect of any advertised vacancy for school ancillary staff;
  to manage a hostel;
• to manage a farm for the benefit of the school
• to manage childcare facilities at the school. ⁶

A School Council may do anything necessary or convenient to perform its functions.⁶

School Councils are optional. The decision to establish a School Council is made by the school community, based on its own nature and needs. School Councils are decision-making bodies that can empower their school communities. Parents have a right to share in school decision-making. This right is an important element in the Parent Participation Policy 1994.^{60, 61}

Victoria

School education in Victoria is the responsibility of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/.

2.1.2 Funding

National

Education in publicly funded government schools is free. However, parents and guardians are expected to pay for textbooks and some school equipment as well as voluntary fees for excursions. Financial assistance is available for low income families to meet these voluntary fees and transport costs.^31, 6 Most public expenditure on education is sourced directly or indirectly from taxes collected at the Commonwealth level and distributed through the State governments.²²⁴

Nationally, the non-government school sector receives 38 per cent of its expenditure from the Commonwealth Government, 18 per cent from State/Territory Governments and the remainder from privately raised income. ³¹

Tasmania

In Tasmania, the Minister may set a rate of fees payable by overseas students. The Secretary (the most senior official in the State Department of Education) may also authorise the principal of a government school to levy a charge to cover incidental costs and expenses incurred in respect of providing educational instruction. The principal of a government school, with the agreement of the School Council (where one exists, see 2.1.1), may also charge for activities which are in addition to the normal educational instruction in that government school. ⁶

2.1.3 Private sector education

Private schools are an important feature of the education system in Australia and, in 2000, enrolled 31 per cent of all students (primary and secondary). The percentage was slightly higher for private secondary schools, which enrolled 36 per cent of all secondary school students. The majority of private school students attend schools with some religious affiliation, most commonly with the Catholic church.  Each State has a substantial system of Catholic schools. In 2000, students attending this type of school represented 20 per cent of all students. In addition, 10 per cent of students attended independent schools, which do not belong to either the government or Catholic system. These particular schools vary widely in type from long-established prestigious schools to relatively new, religious and alternative education schools.²²⁵

Aside from having to meet prescribed minimum educational standards for registration and funding purposes, private schools are largely free from government direction. That is, they are free to determine their own curriculum and assessment procedures.⁴²  Although a small number of schools follow specific independent curricula, for example Montessori or small religious schools, most private schools follow the curriculum and assessment frameworks used by the government schools in their State or Territory. The independent authorities involved in the running of private schools may, however, provide supplementary educational content in areas which are particularly relevant to them, for example values education or religious education.²²⁵

The broad division of governmental responsibility for school funding is that the States fund government schools and technical and further education (TAFE) and the Federal Government finances private schools, higher education and student financial support. Private funding of education is mostly in the form of tuition fees paid to private schools. (Parents do not pay fees for children to attend government schools.) All private schools also receive some direct government funding. Federal Government support is based on a measure of the capacity of schools to raise funds from private sources. State Governments also contribute some funds to private schools. ⁴²

Australia: Number of students in different educational sectors, 1994

 

Australia: Number of schools in different educational sectors, 1994

 

Statistics 2003

In August 2003, there were 9,607 schools in Australia, of which 6,930 (72.1 per cent) were government schools and 2,677 (27.9 per cent) non-government schools.  The number of combined primary/secondary schools had grown from 853 in 1993 to 1,106 in 2003 (an increase of 29.7 per cent), with combined schools representing 11.5 per cent of all schools.  There were 3,318,620 full-time school students, 67.9 per cent of whom attended government schools. Over the period 1993 to 2003, the number of full-time students attending government schools grew by 1.2 per cent, while the number attending non-government schools increased by 22.3 per cent.  Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics: Schools, Australia. Online

 

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