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Victoria has a valid point on Gonski
Victoria has a point. It is rejecting the Gillard government’s Gonski school funding plan because its public school system is currently at the upper end of performance in Australia, getting better results for money spent.
Baillieu’s Gonski rebellion
As the states enter the final stage of talks with the federal government over the Gonski school funding refjorms, Victoria has reminded the Gillard government of findings that show increased spending on education does not necessarily lead to better student results.
First online astrophysics course lifts off
Nobel prize-winning astrophysicist Brian Schmidt has ambitions for online teaching that extend to school science classrooms.
Stanford the first billion dollar university
Stanford last year became the first university to raise more than $US1 billion in a single year, according to the Council for Aid to Education’s annual college fund-raising survey.
Education briefs
Monash University is aiming to transfer its Gippsland campus to the University of Ballarat to create an “expanded regionally focused university” in Victoria by the start of next year.
The right medicine to innovate
In Parkville, where Melbourne University, medical research centres and hospitals work together is a fine example for the up to 10 new innovation precincts, which the Gillard government has committed to spend $500 million on.
Downsized science magazine Cosmos shifts to Melbourne
Science magazine Cosmos has cut staff and lost both its CEO and editor, and co-founder Alan Finkel is looking at going digital.
NSW drops schools bombshell
The O’Farrell government has frozen contributions to a building development fund for NSW non-government schools, on top of more than $100 million worth of cuts to general funding.
MOOCs rush will depend on students
One of the recurrent higher education stories of the past year is the emergence of credible massive open online courses (MOOCs) and their capacity to attract very large audiences.
UNE is a pacesetter
The University of New England, under its online evangelist vice-chancellor Jim Barber, will bring MOOCs into its mainstream course offerings.
