Our review was carried out in the latter part of 2024  and presented to Federal Education Minister Jason Clare in February 2025.  We are still awaiting his response but the executive summary below gives a bleak picture of the state of our nation's education system.  This is not found in the Minister's "Expert Panel's Report for better and fairer education system for the nation,' presented in 2024 and  on which the increase in federal funding for public schools over the next decade in an effort to address the Gonski Report recommendations is based.

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Executive summary of the survey responses.

The responses to the survey came from a wide sector of the community across all states and territories.  Respondents were asked to give just three positive aspects of the current education system, three negative observations and three ideas or suggestion for a complete Re-Form of the nation’s education system.

On a positive note many responses praised the professionalism of so many teachers who are doing a great job for the majority of the children in their care in the face of sometimes overwhelming obstacles and restrictions.  

On a negative note the review responses can be categorised into five broad statements, the National Curriculum, NAPLAN and excessive data gathering being the number one concern of respondents.

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1. The demands of the National Curriculum have created unrealistic goals for teachers to achieve for all children.  NAPLAN is not a true measure of how schools are performing, and the overload of data collecting is detrimental to having time to teach to the needs of children.  35% of comments indicated this to be of greatest concern.

2. The wellbeing of teachers, the stresses of their job, teacher training and instability of the system was noted.  The lack of support and respect for teachers across many sectors of society is a major cause of dissatisfaction and mental stress, even causing many to consider teaching less than a worthy profession to pursue.  22% of comments saw these as serious flaws in the system. 

3. Disruptive behaviour was seen as detrimental to teaching and learning with Behaviour Management plans taking up an inordinate amount of time.  School violence and disengagement from learning were the result. 14% of comments saw this as a major problem for schools.

4. The inequity of funding which affects all aspects of education, more so for public schools than other sectors, was seen as an overarching problem by 7% of comments.

5. A wide range of related problems was identified by a further 22% of comments.

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There was a number of oral comments collected when speaking with parents, students and friends which are not included in the above analysis.  They are:

• Parent demands for school scrutiny have created a climate of mistrust and misunderstanding, even violence against school personnel.

• Technology has provided learners all they need to know to live their own lives devoid of school, believing a smart phone is adequate for doing all they want in life.

• Teacher salaries, though a factor in choosing to pursue a career in education, are not the predominant factor for such a choice, nor continuing in the profession.

• The data on teacher absences, mental health days, temporary appointments, school violence and so much more that determine much of school culture are not easily found nor do they appear on the My School website.

• Having ‘acting’ leadership positions and temporary teaching or teaching contracts has become a great cause of dissatisfaction for many school communities.

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On a futuristic note when asked to give just three ideas or suggestions that would make the nation’s education system better and fairer, the responses were mainly about how to tweak the current system rather than visualising a new structure for our schools to best meet the demands of the current Info/Technological Revolution. The major changes were in the Curriculum and Monitoring areas, Teacher Training and Funding.  However there were many responses that looked more deeply at the cultural aspects of education and society and questions as to how we might look towards some alternative models for education.

I leave you to consider the three aspects of our review and come to your own conclusion.  When considering the four future models that the OECD countries have suggested the  review supports a move from example A to possibly a blend of B and C.  Maybe one day the nation may become mature enough to create our own specific “Australian Education Model.”  We have the Knowledge, the Expertise and the Teachers to do just that.  One might ask “What’s holding us back?”  I think we all know the answer to that.

The four OECD options for education into the future are:

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A. Schooling extended: Participation in formal education continues to expand. International collaboration and technological advances support more individualised learning. The structures and processes of schooling remain the same. 

B. Education outsourced: Traditional schooling systems break down as society becomes more directly involved in educating its citizens. Learning takes place through more diverse, privatised, and flexible arrangements, with digital technology a key driver.

C. Schools as learning hubs: Schools remain, but diversity and experimentation have become the norm. Opening the ‘school walls’ connects schools to their communities, favouring ever-changing forms of learning, civic engagement, and social innovation. 

D. Learn as you go: Education takes place everywhere, anytime. Distinctions between formal and informal learnings are no longer valid as society turns itself entirely to the power of the machine.

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Minister Clare’s “Expert Panel’s Report for a better and fairer education system” is rooted in example A.  Time has passed us by, the Industrial Revolution has been usurped by the Info/Technological Revolution.  It might be argued that example A is the safest and easiest plan to implement.  Most parents are familiar with it as that’s the way they remember school, though it is not really what school is like today.  All of the bureaucratic frameworks are firmly established and currently in place.  It’s how we have done school now almost forever, but it takes no note of the thirty to forty percent of learners that the model has left behind. The plethora of independent schools, alternative schools and organisations that are now fully dedicated to “picking up the pieces” of Australia’s model of politically and religiously constrained education system is a testimony to the problems it has itself created.  

 

As I have elsewhere expressed such bodies are now like the recycle trucks picking up the yellow bins in an effort to save our kids from becoming landfill.  However the yellow bins are now overflowing and more and more alternative schools are proliferating the education scene. Apart from the well-established Steiner and Montessori school networks the “Alternative School networks” include the The Busy School, the Arethusa Colleges, Warakirri College, the Indie Schools, the ‘Big Picture’ program, the Men of Business Academy, Alta-1, The Living School, and many more.