Opinion
Only rich kids prosper from their education. That has to change
Australia’s 2022 PISA results look good, but in reality they raise more questions than answers.
Julie HareEducation editorIn a twist of fate, Australia’s performance on an important international assessment of reading, science and maths has lifted – not because our 15-year-olds improved but because so many other countries crashed out of contention.
The much anticipated results of the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment have landed but posed many more questions than there are answers.
The gap between public and independent schools is vast and growing. Louise Kennerley
Why, for one, did Australian kids seem to get through pandemic lockdowns and months of home-schooling relatively unscathed while kids in other countries like Finland, Canada, Denmark and Hong Kong went backwards?
Also, why did Australia’s results stabilise between 2018 and 2022 after declining at every previous iteration since the inaugural PISA in 2000?
While the results are welcome news, it isn’t time to pop the champagne. The truth is, the gap between rich and poor in academic performance is vast and growing. Too few kids from the poorest families perform in the highest bands. Kids in government schools underperform those in Catholic and independent schools while girls continue to outperform boys.
It is simply shocking that half of all teenagers perform below expected levels in maths. In scientific literacy, the figure is 42 per cent and 43 per cent in reading.
What this means is that half of all young Australians on the cusp of adulthood are functionally illiterate. They struggle with day-to-day tasks because they can’t properly comprehend what they read, or know how to apply mathematical knowledge or understand basic scientific concepts.
This is after 10 years in the education system.
We know that once kids start falling behind, they very rarely catch up. In fact, they continue to fall even further behind and so the vicious cycle goes on.
Despite the good intentions of the Gillard and Turnbull governments’ Gonski reforms that were supposed to direct additional funding to those schools with the largest proportion of disadvantaged students, there has been very little return to date on the $319 billion investment.
The fact is, funding matters. But after a certain point, the impact recedes. The things that make the most difference are: curriculum, evidence-based teaching practice, teachers who understand the science of learning, teachers who aren’t burdened with futile tasks, schools where poor behaviour is minimised and expectations are high.
Education minister Jason Clare is negotiating a funding agreement with the states and territories that could embed all of these things and more. Hopefully, this time the best interests of all students is front of mind when the relevant ministers sign on the dotted line.
After all, it is simply not acceptable that only rich kids prosper from their education.
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