Parliamentary Inquiry into Higher Education Participation

The Age, 3 August 2009

The Education and Training Committee of the Parliament of Victoria has released a report that argues that current university entry systems fail to overcome disadvantage for poorer and regional students.

The Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education investigated the Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) scores of Victorian students from different backgrounds, and concluded that ‘ENTER-based selection can disadvantage young people in non-metropolitan, outer urban and low-socioeconomic status areas’.

In particular, the Committee noted a ‘striking trend’ in the high rates at which students from regional Victoria were deferring university study because of the cost of study. It argued that regional students faced higher living expenses to attend university and claimed that these students were required to work before undertaking study in order to qualify for the Youth Allowance.

The Committee recommended that the Victorian Government urge the Australian Government to provide Youth Allowance funding to all students who were required to relocate in order to undertake tertiary study. 

The Committee also recommended that the Victorian Government investigate modifications of the ENTER system to make it ‘more equitable’, including the introduction of a greater proportion of recommendation-based tertiary places and the creation of articulation programs from TAFE into university study.

Visit the Victorian Parliament website to access a copy of the report.

 

 

Back to News Page