Schools to Acquire a Business Edge

The Australian, Milanda Rout, 27 August 2007; The Canberra Times, Andrew Fraser, 27 August 2007

 

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) has today released a five-point plan they believe will prevent Australia’s education system from falling further behind. The BCA argues in their discussion paper that Australia is failing to keep
up with such countries as Finland, Japan and North Korea, especially in maths and science.

Australia’s top 100 leading chief executives are saying Australia’s schools are in a quality crisis. The paper, prepared
by the chief executive of the Australian Council for Education Research, Professor Geoff Masters, believes that better professional support structures for teachers, improved school governance and increased public investment are needed
to restore the education system.

BCA president, Michael Chaney, says that Australia’s education system has not changed since the 1960s. ‘While
Australia's school education system is generally good by world standards, and in some specific areas is leading the
way, our report has found there are key areas where we are at risk of being left behind,’ Mr Chaney said.

Mr Chaney believes that students who drop out of school before reaching year twelve generally did so because they
fell behind in their early school years, which limited their academic and work opportunities. Mr Chaney has also found
that there is a ‘shortage of young people with the knowledge and skills required for effective participation in modern workplaces. He claims that a high-quality school education is ‘crucial to our future innovation, productivity and standard
of living.’

In their paper, the BCA state that Australia’s secondary school completion rate is one of the lowest worldwide. The paper goes on to say that ‘a large number of young people leave school with unacceptably low levels of school achievement.
We are failing more than 300,000 young people aged between 15 and 24 who are either unemployed or work part-time and are not undertaking part-time study.’

The BCA believes that more students must complete year twelve in order to protect Australia’s economic
competitiveness. Their paper states that greater funding for education, early intervention for students with learning difficulties, more autonomy for principals, a national curriculum and further links with business all have a part to play in reshaping the education system.

Mr Chaney has said that the BCA will develop specific recommendations on schooling over the next six months.

To read the BCA’s Restoring our Edge in Education: Making Australia’s Education System its next Competitive
Advantage, click here.

 

 

 

 

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