Education
Latest
Editorial
Language learning is the gift we must give our children
Learning a second language comes with cognitive and societal benefits, yet Australian students are abandoning language studies.
- The Herald's View
Instant offers and $20,000 sweeteners: The battle to keep these subjects in NSW schools
Research consistently points to broader cognitive benefits of learning a foreign language but last year just over 250 public school students were in Japanese beginners.
- by Christopher Harris
Obituaries
Architect much more than creator of brutalist UTS Tower
Michael Dysart was one of Australia’s most significant architects, designing everything from universities to hundreds of schools, and reshaping the project home market.
- by Tone Wheeler
NSW universities took $3.2 billion from domestic students but are still running at a loss
Full-time domestic students cost an average of $12,000 each even though they are paying for expensive degrees, a parliamentary report has found.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Analysis
How are bullied and burnt-out officers expected to keep people safe?
Rampant bullying and unaddressed trauma are leaving officers stressed out and psychologically injured, an independent review has revealed.
- by Amber Schultz
‘Coercive threats’: Julie Bishop’s scathing resignation letter from ANU
“Increasingly contemptuous intervention” by the university regulator in the Australian National University’s affairs forced Julie Bishop to quit as chancellor, she says.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Opinion
Terence Tao’s groundbreaking maths formula is so simple, anyone can follow it
The Australian mathematician has been given one of the highest awards in the King’s Birthday Honours list. This is why.
- by Adam Spencer
Exclusive
The question smart parents ask at Sydney Boys High open day
The principal of one of the state’s top schools says the selective entry test does not measure the things it needs to.
- by Christopher Harris
Air quality study finds elevated carbon dioxide levels in some NSW classrooms
The University of NSW report which measured air quality at 59 schools found 17 classrooms experienced carbon dioxide levels not considered optimal for learning.
- by Christopher Harris
Baptisms, moving and enrolments at birth: The tricks parents use to get their child’s dream school
The race to get into an in-demand school has never been tighter and parents will do whatever it takes to secure a spot.
- by Alexandra Smith
ANU’s $100 million drama: Effect on staff revealed in fiery Senate hearing
There were nine reported incidents at the Australian National University’s College of Arts and Social Sciences during the Renew ANU rollout.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
University chancellor stands aside as ICAC inquiry looms
The watchdog is investigating whether Michael Still and others from the University of Wollongong improperly or dishonestly exercised official functions.
- by Michael Ruffles and Sally Rawsthorne
After exam chaos, parents to get NAPLAN ‘caveat’ but no mark adjustments
The head of the agency which oversees NAPLAN said there would be no mark adjustments.
- by Christopher Harris
‘Manufactured crisis’: Bombshell report reveals flaws in controversial ANU finance plan
One of several long-anticipated investigations into the Australian National University released damning findings on Thursday.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
‘Odd choices of words’: How an academic’s AI use was exposed by her peers
Western Sydney University has acknowledged that the opinion piece, published by this masthead, was AI-generated using the author’s previous work.
- by Harriet Alexander and Sally Rawsthorne
When things go wrong inside Sydney’s most expensive schools
The HSC might not be a race, but among schools it is definitely a competition.
- by Christopher Harris
ICAC to investigate allegations of corruption at University of Wollongong
The anti-corruption watchdog will look at recruitment, contracts and conflicts of interest at the besieged university.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
The scandal-plagued university offering students up to $5000 to enrol
The Australian National University has been beset by controversy for 18 months. Now it is trying a new tactic to win back students.
- by Julie Hare
Editorial
Falling university rankings suggest a wider malaise
The public good value of science and education courses had been devalued, according to a report rating Australian universities.
- The Herald's View
‘Undermines the country’s long-term future’: More than half of Australia’s universities dive in global rankings
See how your university is ranked against its global competitors.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
‘You have some explaining to do’: The taboo story that earned Anthony HSC top marks
The work of the state’s top HSC English students has been released. You can read their stories here.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
University entry was the hardest it’s ever been this year. Next year will be worse
Sydney’s year 12 cohort will be affected by a major change to the way in which domestic students’ degrees are funded for 2027.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Opinion
Don’t fence our schools in. Where else will the children (and grown-ups) play?
Remember when we used schools as our after-hours playgrounds? We need them back.
- by Jen George
NSW students were taught ‘resilience’. It didn’t help
Resilience has become common parlance in schools as they increasingly attempt to cater to parental anxieties around adolescent mental health.
- by Christopher Harris
Safe sex decline: Teenage condom use hits 30-year low
Parental and high school sexual health education is failing to meet the needs of young people, who are increasingly learning about relationships and wellbeing online.
- by Bridie Smith
This 151-year-old Sydney private school is changing. Not everyone is happy
It will be back to the 1970s for Monte Sant’ Angelo Mercy College following its decision to offer some primary places in 2028.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
I’m an academic, but I’ve told my stepdaughter to think twice about going to university
We have arrived at a point where universities are committing industrial-scale fraud thanks to the real-time experiment in degree by AI.
- by Kylie Moore-Gilbert
We gave kids endless tech. Their digital skills are at a 20-year low
A Sydney college is creating a specialist team to examine how students use AI and how AI literacy can best be taught.
- by Emily Kowal
‘Students are paying the price’: More than half of uni tutorials at least double the ideal size
“It is hard to avoid students going under the radar,” said one academic.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
The HSC convention that might be past its use-by date
Education bosses have urged a rethink of the 180-minute HSC exam, saying an hour could be cut. Some students approve – but some do not.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
Inside Cranbrook’s quiet $4m plan to make more space for girls
In February, the school opened its doors to its first female cohort. So it was only a matter of time before it started making space for more of them.
- by John Buckley
AI poses ‘urgent threat’ to student learning and the HSC
A major report says the new tech is endangering learning with cheating so rife it’s undermining the credibility of the education system.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
The inner Sydney school, the warring parents and a missing principal
Long-running tensions at Darlinghurst Public School have flared into civil war as highly invested parents demand answers from the Education Department.
- by Alexandra Smith and Emily Kowal
‘I thought it was crazy’: Inside the Sydney boarding school experience
Traditionally, boarding schools are a place for rural students. But times have changed.
- by Christopher Harris
Editorial
Foreign students can no longer be relied upon to bankroll our universities
Australia was once a desired destination for study, but competition is fierce among the world’s leading institutions.
- The Herald's View
Exclusive
Revealed: How much your university made last year
The state’s tertiary institutions made a total of $5 billion in revenue from international students, but experts are questioning how long this can continue.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Opinion
School rankings don’t teach us much … unless you include this key variable
NAPLAN results alone cannot tell us what we need to know about a school’s quality of teaching.
- by Marian Vidal-Fernandez
The Sydney school oval, the two-metre fence and the $585,000 demand
What was once an open neighbourhood playing field is now at the centre of a $585,000 dispute over public space and security.
- by David Barwell
Why parents are calling for the return of primary school homework
One principal says for every parent who opposes homework, “there are probably three who very much insist they want it”.
- by Emily Kowal
Exclusive
The $1 billion spent compensating universities for students who weren’t
Search our table to see how much of the $1 billion compensation your university was given.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Revealed: Top 160 NSW primary schools for maths and literacy growth
Analysis of NAPLAN data has identified 160 of more than 2000 primary schools at the top of the state for student progress. Search the list.
- by Christopher Harris and Nigel Gladstone
Editorial
Levelling the HSC playing field, one subject at a time
Students locked out of challenging subjects will have better opportunities next year.
- The Herald's View