Australian society system and policies PDF

Running Head: AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY, SYSTEM AND POLICIES
Australian Society, System and Policies
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1AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY, SYSTEM AND POLICIES
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
1. Evaluation of Frameworks and Theoretical Underpinnings...............................................2
1.1. The Framework of the Schooling System in Australia...............................................2
1.2. The Framework of Tertiary Education System in Australia.......................................3
`1.2.1. Vocational Training...................................................................................................3
1.2.2. The Framework of Higher Education System in Australia......................................3
1.3. Distance Education System in Australia.....................................................................4
1.4. The Framework of the Grading System in Australia...................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

2AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY, SYSTEM AND POLICIES
Introduction
The system of education in Australia is one that provides secondary, primary as well
as tertiary education. As argued by Baik et al. (2015), it is the aim of the Australian
government, to provide education that is wholesome in nature to all its citizens (Baik et al.,
2015). This report proposes a detailed and well-integrated framework that the Australian
ministry of education can consider implementing in order to improve or progress on the
existing system of education in the country. The recommendations are made using the
frameworks of school education, tertiary education, distance education and the framework of
the grading system. The report concludes that the Australian government should really strive
in order to make the education system in the country as progress and broad based as possible
and on an equal level with education offered in the UK and America.
1. Evaluation of Frameworks and Theoretical Underpinnings
1.1. The Framework of the Schooling System in Australia
In the view of (Billet et al., 2015), the school system in Australia should be one that is
similar all over the country barring a few territories and states. The school education in
Australia, both secondary as well as primary, should be made compulsory for children
between six and sixteen years of age (Billett et al., 2015). Moreover, it is stated by Dow
(2017), that primary school should be made to run from Kindergarten stage right up to sixth
or seventh grade. The secondary system should be made to run for a period of three to four
years, from the seventh grade to the tenth grade, while senior secondary school should be
made to run for two years, that is, from grade 11 to grade 12 (Dow, 2017).

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1.2. The Framework of Tertiary Education System in Australia
`1.2.1. Vocational Training
Entwistle and Ramsden (2015), state that when it comes to tertiary education in
Australia, the system of education imparted should be of both an academic and vocational
nature. Vocational education and training sectors ought to be set up on the basis of
partnerships between the industry and the Australian government. Employer groups and the
industrial sector must be encouraged to make a contribution to the training of policies as well
as priorities as well as for developing qualifications that are capable of delivering the
workforce with skills necessary to be a success at the jobs that they do (Entwistle &
Ramsden, 2015). Registered training organizations in the country should be set up and made
to provide vocational education and training qualifications that include private institutions as
well as government institutions. For Harvey (2016), the registered training organizations
should be set up in the both the regional areas and the metropolitan areas in order to have a
wide outreach. The Australian Council for Private Education as well as Training must play a
particularly important role in the setting up of registered vocational training organizations
across the length and the breadth of the country (Harvey et al., 2016).
1.2.2. The Framework of Higher Education System in Australia
 Norton et al. (2016), argue that as far as higher education in Australia is concerned,
higher education providers and university faculty members need to play a critical role
in driving productivity, fueling innovation and giving Australian students all the skills
that they are in need of in order to be a success in the future (Norton et al., 2016).
 According to Dow (2017), while there are as many as forty-three universities in the
country, out of which two are international and the rest are domestic. Efforts need to

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be made on the part of the Australian government to establish a greater number of
universities compared to what there are at present (Dow, 2017).
 According to Harvey (2016), efforts should especially be directed towards the
provision of international education and to impart the type of education that attracts
students from all over the world, especially from the Global South.
 According to Baik et al. (2015), the university system should be one that is
characterized by tolerance and fairness, so that students from other countries who
come here to study do not complain about issues such as racism and other types of
discrimination.
 In the view of Pitman et al. (2017), efforts should also be made to recruit members of
the LGBTQ community to faculty positions as well as members from diverse ethnic
backgrounds to impart a sense of diversity to the Australian higher education system
as a whole.
 As argued by Dow (2017), when it comes to research in particular, funding and efforts
need to go into the establishment of research centers that investigate and deliberate on
matters pertaining to both the natural sciences and the social sciences.
 In the view of Dow (2017), the research centers should be run by the most qualified of
researchers and academics, not only from Australia but from other parts of the world
as well. Special research grants or bursaries ought to be made available to
meritorious researchers, who show the promise of scholarship and who can
successfully guide research projects to a fruitful conclusion (Dow, 2017).
1.3. Distance Education System in Australia
According to Pitman et al. (2017), distance education is something that the Australian
ministry of education should promote as much as possible, in order to encourage working
professionals to enhance their skills and add to their list of qualifications while pursuing

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full time jobs at the same time. Distance education is already provided in the country, but
it should be extended to include subjects that are only taught as a part of regular course
curriculums in universities and colleges. Pitman et al. (2017) argue for instance, that
distance education must be provided in unconventional disciplines like gender studies,
human rights, genetics and so on, so that people feel encouraged to pursue such advanced
subjects and add to their CV’s in spite of being caught in a full time job that they have to
do in order to support themselves and the members of their families (Pitman et al., 2017).
1.4. The Framework of the Grading System in Australia
According to Wibowo et al. (2016), significant revisions need to be made to grading
systems at both the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education in Australia.
Students should be encouraged not only to demonstrate good written skills, but to
showcase good verbal skills as well and must be given special credits for taking part
actively in classroom discussions and voicing their opinions and thoughts on their subject
of study (Wibowo et al., 2016).
Conclusion
Australia is one of the most advanced countries in the world and its system of
education is already quite renowned and appreciated, both within the country as well as
internationally. Yet there are many areas of the educational system in the country that can be
improved upon, if those receiving an education in Australia are to benefit in the best possible
way. The Australian government needs to play an active role in taking Australian education
system to the greatest heights, putting it at par with the educational systems that are in
operation in countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

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References
Baik, C., Naylor, R., & Arkoudis, S. (2015). The First Year Experience in Australian
Universities: Findings from Two Decades, 1994-2014. Melbourne Centre for the
Study of Higher Education.
Billett, S., Choy, S., Dymock, D., Smith, R., Henderson, A., Tyler, M., & Kelly, A. (2015).
Towards More Effective Continuing Education and Training for Australian
Workers.National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER
Dow, K. L. (2017). Strengthening quality assurance in Australian higher education. In Global
perspectives on quality in higher education (pp. 135-154). Routledge
Entwistle, N., & Ramsden, P. (2015). Understanding student learning (Routledge revivals).
Routledge
Harvey, A., Burnheim, C., & Brett, M. (Eds.). (2016). Student equity in Australian higher
education: Twenty-five years of A Fair Chance for All. Springer
Norton, A., Norton, A., & Cakitaki, B. (2016). Mapping Australian higher education 2016.
Melbourne: Grattan Institute.
Pitman, T., Harvey, A., McKay, J., Devlin, M., Trinidad, S., & Brett, M. (2017). The Impact
of Enabling Programs on Indigenous Participation, Success and Retention in
Australian Higher Education. In Indigenous Pathways, Transitions and Participation
in Higher Education (pp. 235-249). Springer, Singapore.
Wibowo, S., Grandhi, S., Chugh, R., & Sawir, E. (2016). A pilot study of an electronic exam
system at an Australian University. Journal of Educational Technology
Systems, 45(1), 5-33.