As the State Government vowed to crack down on student violence and bullying yesterday, figures obtained by The Courier-Mail highlighted the extent of the problem.

The figures, released by the Education Department, show more than 10,000 suspensions were handed out to state school students for “physical misconduct involving an object” over the past three financial years.

More than two students were expelled every school week last financial year for the violation, with 89 recorded, up from 65 in 2003 to 2004.

Yesterday, Premier Anna Bligh announced state, Catholic and independent school representatives would form the Queensland Schools Alliance Against Violence, which will make recommendations on the best ways to stamp out the growing problem.

It follows a recommendation from Professor Ken Rigby in his report on how the state is dealing with bullying, and the alleged fatal stabbing of 12-year-old Elliott Fletcher in his school’s toilets at Shorncliffe last week.

Premier Anna Bligh acknowledged there was an “alarming culture of school violence”, with the alliance set to address it.

But Opposition deputy leader Lawrence Springborg accused the Government of “more talk and no action”, saying it had established a youth violence taskforce in 2006 and claimed to have implemented its recommendations in 2009.

Education figures show there were 2797 short suspensions for “physical misconduct involving an object” in state schools last year, down from a six-year high in 2007 to 2008 when 3064 were recorded.

But long suspensions – between six and 20 days – have climbed annually over the past six years in the category, reaching 456 in 2008 to 2009.

Education deputy director-general Lyn McKenzie said the type of objects used in the suspensions could include pencils and sticks, as well as knives. Replica guns have also been wielded by students.

Ms Bligh said while bullying had always existed, the playground no longer ended at the school fence and had been radically changed by technology, including social networking sites.

She said the alliance would focus on preventative measures but also look at security and violent incidents in schools, including the use of weapons.

The group is expected to meet within the weeks and start delivering recommendations within months.

Source: Courier Mail

The “student identifier” will be annexed to the My School program which publishes the performance of individual schools on the internet.

“If we have a way of tracking, then we can, obviously, have better measures of how schools are going,” Ms Gillard told ABC Radio today.

The number would allow the literacy and numeracy performance of individual students to be monitored during their school life, especially as they moved from school to school.

“Being able to seamlessly track a child throughout education when they get to a new school is vitally important,” Ms Gillard said.

The identity of students would be covered by “proper privacy protections” but access would be given to parents and teachers.

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Ms Gillard will provide more details of the new program when she addresses the National Press Club later today.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said he was concerned about any proposal that appeared to commodify children.

“Children should have names not numbers,” he said.

“People have names and I think that it ought to be possible to identify people’s performance based on their names, based on who they are.”

The public was always rightly suspicious of governments attempting to introduce some kind of identification card by the back door, Mr Abbott said.

Labor backbencher Sharon Bird said students in their final two years of school already had an identity number.

“It allows parents to have that information and follow it through and not have a shoe box where you have kept all the paper copies of their reports,” she said.

“It is just a sensible reform I think that parents and schools will very much welcome.”

Source: The Australian

The What matters to the West survey found that European languages such as French and Italian seem to be out of favour.

Almost half the survey’s respondents thought Mandarin should be taught in schools, followed by more than a fifth who said students should learn indigenous languages.

The survey canvassed the opinions of more than 3400 people and was run by _The West Australian _ and Channel Seven.

French was the favourite for 18 per cent and Italian, just 13 per cent.

Chinese Language Teachers Association of WA president and Mt Lawley Senior High School Mandarin teacher Anita Chong said there had been a push by parents wanting their children to learn a language that would help with career opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mr Rudd’s linguistic abilities had also improved the popularity of Mandarin, she said.

“It is difficult; speaking it is easier than writing and students might not become fluent but through the language they understand the culture and have the opportunity to be one step ahead,” Ms Chong said.

Learning Mandarin opened up opportunities in places such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where it was also spoken, as well as China.

Kimberley Land Council senior cultural adviser Irene Davey said she was encouraged by the number of people who thought indigenous languages should be taught in schools.

She believed it would deepen understanding of Aboriginal culture, help young Aboriginal people retain their own language and secure indigenous languages as an important part of Australia’s history and culture.

Education Department school support programs executive director David Axworthy said the department was aiming to raise the quality and profile of teaching of Mandarin and other Asian languages in WA public schools.

The department had opened six specialist language hubs in secondary schools this year.

He said Aboriginal languages had a unique place in Australia’s heritage and cultural and educational life and 25 Aboriginal languages were being taught at public schools in WA.

Survey respondents also overwhelmingly supported compulsory uniforms at school, with 85 per cent in favour.
Half thought students got a better education at a private school, while a quarter thought public schools did the job.

Source: The West Australian

Under the six-year $9.44 million Teach SA program, up to 40 maths and science graduates and career professionals will receive financial support and a guaranteed job at the end of their studies to undertake a one year post graduate teaching program.

Another 100 existing teachers will be supported to get special qualifications in maths and science and 15 teachers will be given scholarships to get higher level qualifications in physics, chemistry or maths.

Premier Mike Rann said the best teachers will be fast tracked towards the top level pay of at least $80,000.

“Having better skilled teachers in science and maths makes sense if we are to prepare young people for highly skilled jobs for the future,” he said.

Meanwhile Mr Rann said he will debate Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond on Channel 10 on March 2 “whether she is ready or not”.

Mr Rann said he had tried to “lock down” the date for several weeks after “hesitation and indecision’ from Mrs Redmond.

“I have offered up four dates all of which are apparently unacceptable to Mrs Redmond because we have been told she is unavailable but it appears she is just not ready,” he said.

“When I was challenged to a debate by Premiers Olsen and Kerin, I simply turned up on the date they chose. If she is unavailable, I have no hesitation in debating any of her predecessors.

“I’m quiet happy to debate her Deputy Stephen Griffiths if she is not available or ready.”

Source: Adelaide Now

Current approaches to tackling bullying inside the education system are unlikely to stem the growing menace of cyber-bullying. They also are unlikely to curb the effects of children deliberately excluding others.

The stark warnings are contained in a highly anticipated report by Professor Ken Rigby, commissioned last year by the State Government.

The report says cyber-bullying and social exclusion are “now seen as the most damaging of all to the mental health of targeted children”.

After a review of the state’s schools, Prof Rigby has concluded they are failing to follow up on how well their existing anti-bullying measures are working.

“This needs to be remedied before schools can discover, with confidence, what works at their school,” his report said.

Prof Rigby also warned the Government that it needed to continually provide the best new advice to its education department.

He recommended every school be made to report annually on its anti-bullying tactics and then be encouraged to note them on their website.

One in three children are bullied in class almost daily, according to research released by Education Queensland last year.

The Rigby report, Enhancing Responses to Bullying in Queensland Schools, highlights a lack of education in schools about the range of anti-bullying measures available.

It wasn’t all bad, however, with Prof Rigby saying he was “much impressed” during his visits to state schools on their “dedication and sheer inventiveness on what was being done to address bullying”.

“I have worked with schools in every state in Australia, and it is not my impression that Queensland schools are less dedicated or less effective in dealing with bullying than any other state or territory,” he said.

“However, I do believe that a good deal of useful advice and guidance can and should be provided by the Department of Education and Training and by other educational jurisdictions.”

Prof Rigby acknowledged he only visited a small sample of schools, with only staff and stakeholders – not parents or students – interviewed.

Education Minister Geoff Wilson said he would “carefully consider” the recommendations.

Mr Wilson said the report was an important step in his commitment to dealing with bullying and behaviour in Queensland schools.

The report will be released today.

Source: Courier Mail

The letter, signed by the 39 vice-chancellors, was sent to all 76 senators yesterday as part of a last-minute lobbying push before the legislation returns to the upper house tomorrow.

The Family First Senator, Steve Fielding, last year combined with the Coalition to block the changes.

Until the changes pass, the government will be unable to pay new scholarships to about 150,000 students.

The $1434 start-up scholarship (which will rise to $2254 next year) and relocation scholarships, worth $4000 in the first year and $1000 for each subsequent year, were intended to replace Commonwealth scholarships abolished in separate legislation last year.

Labor’s proposals seek to target assistance towards students from low and middle income families and away from people who qualify for benefits by earning a set amount of money over an 18-month period.

But the proposed changes have generated opposition from some, particularly in regional areas, who say they will be worse off under the changes.

The Education Minister, Julia Gillard, yesterday attempted to place pressure on the Coalition by producing correspondence from opposition MPs highlighting flaws in the current system.

Labor proposes to increase the parental income test for the allowance from $32,800 to $42,559.

Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott would be held ”personally responsible” if the proposals were defeated. ”Ultimately, this comes down to a test for the leader of the opposition,” she said.

”The test is whether or not he will stand up for a youth allowance package that is fair, or whether he will end up explaining to literally thousands of students in thousands of families why they are not getting the benefits that the government wants to pay to them.”

But the opposition education spokesman, Christopher Pyne, said coalition MPs were hearing from students and families in rural areas who were worried about Labor’s proposals.

Senator Fielding said he would move an amendment which would retain the current eligibility criteria for students who have to move more than 100 kilometres away from home to study.

He said that if his amendment failed, he would again vote against the bill.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

On the eve of orientation week, the University of Western Sydney suspended ordinary funding arrangements after complaints that the student body, called the Hive, was “too political”, according to Hive president Jacob Carswell-Doherty.

“It sets a very concerning precedent; the universities have the ability to turn the tap on and off as they see fit,” said Mr Carswell-Doherty, a five-year veteran of student politics.

National Union of Students president Carla Drakeford alsobelieved UWS was the first university to hogtie funding since the end of compulsory student unionism in 2006. She said it was more common for student representative councils to self-censor.

Those student bodies that have not collapsed have become dependent on money from university coffers since they lack the compulsory fees of students.

UWS paid $68,734 to consultants Gavin Anderson & Company (Australia) for advice on how to set up a student representative body for the new era of voluntary unionism. Mr Carswell-Doherty said the team elected last year to the newly formed Hive had run campaigns on same-sex marriage (UWS boasts an Equal Love Collective) and conflict in the Gaza Strip (UWS has more Muslim students than any other university).

Mr Carswell-Doherty made no apology for the politics, but said the Hive had recruited staff and made plans to expand the range of non-political groups and activities.

He said this imbalance had been pointed out to the student body in January by deputy vice-chancellor Rhonda Hawkins.

But on February 10, the body that governs the university, the board of trustees, suspended funding arrangements for the student body pending a report from the audit and risk committee, Mr Carswell-Doherty said.

In a brief statement, Ms Hawkins said UWS was giving the Hive money for “genuine and necessary expenditures” while it discussed “funding arrangements and budget” with the student body. Mr Carswell-Doherty said the Hive had half the money it would normally have in the busy, early part of the year, had lost autonomy in spending, and had to scale back orientation week activities.

Although the board of trustees made the decision in camera, it reportedly cited concerns about financial and accounting processes at the Hive, Mr Carswell-Doherty said. He queried whether “the financial explanation is being used as a justification to shut the student union up”.

The Howard government saw compulsory student unionism as an unjust system.

Source: The Australian

The funding will be made available to top up the Education Services for Overseas Students Assurance Fund (ESOS Assurance Fund) if required.

The ESOS Assurance Fund is the cornerstone of Australia’s international student consumer protection framework which safeguards the course fees of international students. The fund was established in 2000 with a $1 million start amount provided by the Government.

As at 31 January 2010, the ESOS Assurance Fund had a positive cash balance in excess of $3.35 million.

Since it was established in 2000 the total call on the fund has been $5.3 million.

The funding is one of a number of measures the Australian Government has initiated to ensure we remain a world leader in providing international education services. These measures include:

* ESOS Amendment (Re-registration of Providers and Other Measures) Bill which will require all providers delivering education and training to international students to re register by 31 December 2010
* The review of the current ESOS Act by the Hon Bruce Baird AM, which is due to report to the Australian Government shortly
* A National International Student Strategy currently being developed through the Council Of Australian Governments
* The International Students Hotline set up in mid 2009
* The establishment of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and a national regulator for the Vocational Education and Training sector.

The Government’s decision will provide additional certainty for students and underscores the Government’s determination to ensure that the international education sector remains both strong and vibrant into the future.

Source: Minister’s Media Centre

Bremer Institute of TAFE’s specialised E-Learning librarian Jean Moetara said staff and students felt eBooks could be used to improve education without causing any collateral damage.

In addition to creating the position of E-Learning librarian three years ago, the TAFE has worked hard to keep up with the times, encouraging its teachers and students to follow suit.

“The programs are still developing, but Bremer TAFE has been recognised nationally for its uptake of E-Learning,” Ms Moetara said.

“The advantage of it is that it provides equal accessibility to information for students, whether they live out in the bush or close to the TAFE.

“The material can be more easily searched and there is also the opportunity to embed other media, such as video or audio.”

The Rudd Government will set up the Book Industry Strategy Group to protect the country’s $1.5 billion industry from the threat of eBooks. It will have access to $50 million a year in funding and is due to report back to the Federal Government within one year.

Ms Moetara said she did not believe the book industry was under any threat, despite the advances of eBooks.

“People still have an emotional attachment to real books that you just can’t get with the electronic version,” she said.

“One of these days they will invent eBooks that are easier on the eye but, until then, curling up with a good book will remain a popular pastime.”

Source:The Queensland Times

But unions have slammed the strategy – which aims to attract high-performing professionals and graduates from fields including law, economics, engineering, science, mathematics and English – as disrespectful to teachers and a Band-Aid solution.

Teach for Australia chief executive Melodie Potts said research shows similar models overseas produce more effective teachers.

Education Queensland assistant director-general Craig Allen confirmed the program was being considered and talks were being held with Teach for Australia.

The program involves six weeks of intensive training for six days a week at university, with teachers then placed in disadvantaged secondary schools where it is hoped they will inspire children. Their university study continues part-time for two years and includes a mentor and adviser before they graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching.

Mr Allen said the department was “exploring the potential of Teach for Australia” to attract and retain “high quality individuals in teaching”.

The teachers are given a reduced workload to help concentrate on their part-time study.

Queensland has a shortage of some specialist high school teachers and a massive over-supply of primary school teaching graduates. Current graduates have to complete four years of study in Queensland to register as a teacher.

“The department has commenced discussions with key stakeholders, including the Queensland Teachers Union,” Mr Allen said.

But the union has already voted not to accept the program unless issues such as enterprise bargaining are addressed first.

QTU president Steve Ryan said six weeks was not long enough to prepare a teacher for the classroom.

“That is just a total lack of respect for teachers,” he said. “That’s the Band-Aid solution and all kids in the education system deserve better.

“Our view is that all students should be able to be taught by qualified teachers, and teachers with education qualifications.”

Queensland Independent Education Union general secretary Terry Burke said the course undermined the professional standard the community demanded of teachers.

But Teach for Australia’s Ms Potts said the course attracted highly talented individuals, many of whom had leadership roles, and would not otherwise have considered teaching as a career.

The Opposition’s education spokesman, Bruce Flegg, said he supported the strategy.

“It’s one small step in the right direction of attracting high-performing people into teaching,” he said.

Victoria is the first state to take on the initiative, with Teach for Australia teachers starting in classrooms there last month.

Nearly 800 graduates vied for 45 places in the program.

In Victoria they will be paid at one band below their beginning teacher counterparts, before they achieve their degree.

It is unknown what the pay conditions would be in Queensland schools.

Source:The Courier Mail