CALLS for an overhaul of our education system have come following a five-year Inquiry by the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission.
The report’s interim findings revealed that despite increased investment in schools, foundational skills such as writing and numeracy had stagnated.
It also found employment rates for university and VET graduates had fallen in recent years.
“Education and skills are essential for productivity growth,” Productivity Commission Deputy Chair, Dr Alex Robson explained.
“Governments spend over $100 billion a year on education and people spend many years studying. We need to get the best possible value from that investment.”
“While overall, education outcomes are relatively good, we are seeing some concerning declines,” Dr Robson said. “Combined with a shift in the nature of skills demanded by Australian businesses, it is
timely to examine where improvements can be made to improve productivity in these productivity enhancing sectors.
“With Australia now well and truly a service economy, demand for non-routine skills is at an all-time high.
This means a strong foundation from schooling is even more important than for past generations and we need more innovation, competition and choice in our tertiary education sector.”
According to the report, schools should focus on gathering and spreading evidence to improve the quality of teaching. This could include new ideas for freeing up teachers to spend more time in the classroom and adopting proven technology or new ways of schooling to meet the needs of staff and
students.
“For VET and higher education, the question is not just what to teach, but how to teach it,” Dr Robson said.
“It could also be beneficial to explore current funding structures that distort the choices of students in favour of universities over VET, limit competition between providers, and restrict the number of available student places.
“There is some urgency in addressing these challenges. The population of postschool students is expected to increase by 20 per cent over the decade to 2030. This is our future workforce. The solution isn’t just simply to provide more places; the answer is also to ensure that our education system can deliver improved and relevant skills.
“Nobody can predict what some of the specific jobs of the future will look like.
That is why an agile and adaptable education system is so essential for driving future productivity gains.”
Feedback on the 5-year Productivity Inquiry is now invited.
They close on October 21.
