An unloved orphan

04/12/2014 by
Unloved orphan

 4  December 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… As was widely suspected it might, despite intensify lobbying, which one senator depicted as virtual harassment, the government was unable to negotiate the passage of its higher education reform package through the Senate.  The bill was defeated 33-31 on the second reading late 2 December, with four of the eight crossbenchers (senators Glenn Lazarus and Dio Wang from the Palmer United Party, former PUP Jacqui Lambie and independent Nick Xenophon)  joining Labor and the Greens to vote it down. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The government at the last minute offered a A$400 million concession for higher education in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budget, Government, Higher education policy, universities, Universities Australia, University budgets, University reform Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Fee deregulation is a bad idea, but our universities do need reform

04/12/2014 by
AUSTRALIA - UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY PROTEST

 The Conversation    |     4  December 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Education minister Christopher Pyne’s scheme for the deregulation of university fees is dead or delayed, writes Hannah Forsyth (Australian Catholic University) in The Conversation.  But that doesn't obviate the need for fundamental reform. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The Pyne deregulation package  has been exposed as bad for Australia. This is because it will put universities in a spot where they need to increase their fees, continually. They will have to, just to compete with one another on the thing everyone wants: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Budget, Government, Higher education policy, The Scan, universities, Universities Australia, University reform Tagged With: , , , , ,

Remembering La Kosky

04/12/2014 by
Lynne

 4  December 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Lynne Kosky, a senior minister in the Bracks and Brumby Victorian Labor governments, has died after a long illness. While her later ministerial career was clouded by problems in the public transport system, which she inherited on becoming transport minister (2006-2010), Lynne was a visionary education minister (2002-2006), who initiated fundamental reform of Victoria’s education system – in schools education, vocational education and training and higher education. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Lynne introduced the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (2002) as a hands-on alternative to the Victorian … [Read more...]

Filed Under: The Scan Tagged With: ,