Notes from the frontline of the Federal Government’s Education Revolution.

  • 43% of secondary school principals have had to ask teachers to take classes that they are not qualified to teach.
  • Public schools nationwide are underfunded to the tune of $2.9 billion per annum.
  • 70% of teachers agree that higher pay, based on competence or extra qualifications, would retain teachers.
  • 40% of all NSW teachers are eligible to retire in the next six years.
  • 46% of the population, or seven million people, would struggle to understand the meaning of newspaper and magazine articles or documentation such as maps and payslips.
  • 53% of surveyed Australians reached just the second of five levels in a practical numeracy test, while 70%, the equivalent of 10.6 million people, only managed to progress to level 2 in a series of problem-solving exercises. “Level 3 is regarded by the survey developers as the minimum required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy,” said the ABS report, Adult Literacy and Life Skills.

Kevin? Julia? Ready when you are.