India calls for end to 'exploitation'

SUSHI DAS, NEW DELHI Indian Government calls for end to exploitation of students in Australia by dodgy colleges and greedy employers.

Indian student visa applications fall by half

DAN HARRISON The number of Indians applying for visas to study in Australia has plunged dramatically, raising fears for the nation's $17 billion international education industry.

Private school fees race ahead of inflation

MIKI PERKINS Many Victorian private schools will raise their fees by more than four times the rate of inflation.

School test results stagnant

FARRAH TOMAZIN Literacy and numeracy skills of Australian students have hardly improved over the past 12 months, with Federal Government admitting solutions will take years.

Full marks for Mount Scopus in VCE rankings

MIKI PERKINS Jewish school Mount Scopus Memorial College edges Victoria's selective-entry girls' high school from the top VCE spot, with 44 per cent of study scores at 40 or over.

Anger at cost of fast-track teaching plan

FARRAH TOMAZIN AND DAN HARRISON Teachers are angry at a $22 million program to parachute high-flying university graduates into some of the nation's toughest schools. s

Champion by name and by nature

MIKI PERKINS On the first day of school six years ago, Broadford Secondary College disability aide Lisa Hanson found a girl in a wheelchair waiting in her office.

Refugee makes his mark

He started his education in a troubled environment, but a young refugee has pushed on to a personal triumph.

Measuring the competition

Scores are adjusted according to the competition.

Going through the selection process

With most of the courses, there are more applicants than places available.

How the ENTER is calculated

You can achieve your best ENTER by choosing the studies that you are most interested in and are good at, advises Dr Sue Loci of VTAC.

Separating the facts from the fiction

VTAC's Suzanne Connelly puts the ENTER process into proper perspective.

Taking the next step

Five tertiary students tell Margaret Cook how they handled the transition from year 12.

Changing preferences

Want to change your mind on your selected courses? Then now is the time.

You've got your results. Now what?

When deciding what to do next, it's important to consider all your options - but also to keep things in perspective and not panic.

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Prep report fails the grade

FARRAH TOMAZIN Thousands of prep children have missed out on kindergarten, according the Federal Government.

Bored teachers still in class

A State Government plan to remove bored teachers from the classroom is yet to result in one person being shifted.

Audits close more dubious colleges

SUSHI DAS Two more private colleges have been forced to close after a regulator found they had failed to meet basic standards.

Music school's voice unheard

MIKI PERKINS Concerned academics say the future of Melbourne University's music school is at risk and the importance of musical scholarship is being ignored.

Uni lowers entry scores for poor

MIKI PERKINS Melbourne University will lower its entry requirements for rural and poor students to meet new federal targets.

Spotlight on high-risk colleges

DAN HARRISON Foreign students could face tougher English-language entry tests under measures to safeguard Australia's international education industry.

Childcare isn't the problem, nor the panacea

CAROL NADER Parents need not feel guilty about placing their children in childcare - youngsters are unlikely to be scarred by the experience.

Schools face struggle to find new teachers

FARRAH TOMAZIN Victoria will struggle to find enough teachers in the next three years because of record sick leave and a drop in teaching graduates.

• Fast track on a tough road

State seeks virtual answer to teacher crisis

FARRAH TOMAZIN Virtual classrooms could be set up to tackle staff shortages and bridge the gaps between rural and metropolitan students.

Struggling schools not just from struggle street

FARRAH TOMAZIN Dozens of schools in wealthy communities are underperforming as much as those in the poorest areas, according to a new report card.

• Pike delivers on pledge to parents
• School data can't capture every class act

Maths coaching for teachers

Specialist maths coaches will be sent into primary schools in low socio-economic areas to train their colleagues how to teach maths.

Gillard holds to education regulator plan

DAN HARRISON Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard will press ahead with plans for a national vocational education regulator.

Vilification permeates Australian schools

MIKI PERKINS More than two-thirds of young people are the victims of racism at school.

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Dodgy colleges may face spot fines

FARRAH TOMAZIN Victorian education authorities could get the power to randomly search private colleges and issue on-the-spot fines.

Call to make sport a school priority again

DAN HARRISON AND MYKE BARTLETT Physical education should be included in the national curriculum, according to a review of sports policy.

Melbourne Uni says sorry for trials on orphans

BRIDIE SMITH Melbourne University has apologised to the Forgotten Australians - in particular the children researchers used in medical trials.

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It's offishal - English iz darned hard to lurn

BRIDIE SMITH Research has confirmed that English is a tough language to learn.

Gillard may give ground on schools report

FARAH TOMAZIN Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard may give ground on a new schools reporting system.

Primary English test 'a waste'

MIKI PERKINS Teachers have slammed a new English test undertaken by thousands of primary school children.

New powers to close dodgy colleges

SUSHI DAS Dodgy private colleges that exploit students will be closed sooner under changes to restore confidence in international education.

Poor parenting alarms schools

DAN HARRISON Education Minister Julia Gillard acknowledges that poor parenting places a heavy burden on schools.

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Principals slam $2.2bn deal

FARRAH TOMAZIN, EDUCATION EDITOR Principals hit out at $2.2 billion deal to improve teaching quality and lift school standards.

State hands $2.1bn to non-government schools

MIKI PERKINS, EDUCATION REPORTER Victorian Catholic and independent schools have made a record-breaking $2.1 billion funding deal with the State Government.

Schools' report cards unveiled

DAN HARRISON Julia Gillard reveals the long-awaited school report cards that will provide unprecedented levels of information about every school.

Muck-up day prank puts boy's hearing at risk

MIKI PERKINS A year 10 student sustains hearing damage after eggs are hurled at him by group of Melbourne Grammar students on muck-up day.

Many questions, no answers for irate students

SUSHI DAS Foreign students hit by college closures come searching for answers but find only uncertainty.

Students set up 'pro-rape' page on Facebook

RUTH POLLARD Group of past and present University of Sydney students set up a 'pro-rape' page in sports and recreation section on Facebook.

College collapses hit VCE

SUSHI DAS A crisis in international education spreads, with the collapse of four colleges in Melbourne and Sydney.

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Fewer view Melbourne Uni as their model

DAN HARRISON AND MIKI PERKINS The number of young people choosing Melbourne University has declined sharply.

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Report cards on Victorian schools a first

MIKI PERKINS Every Victorian school will have its performance data published on a new website.

Mature-age applicants rush to uni

DAN HARRISON AND MIKI PERKINS Fierce competition for jobs has helped increase applications to Victorian universities by mature-age students.

More jobs go at Melbourne Uni

Melbourne University will shed more than 150 staff via voluntary redundancy , despite initial claims the number would be capped at 100.

Stimulus hits giant trees

Neighbours are furious that plans to build a new hall at an East Brighton primary school include the removal of two 100-year-old oak trees.

Unis fail to make gains on equity

MIKI PERKINS The number of poor, indigenous and rural students studying at Victorian universities has remained unchanged over the past five years.

Building fund revamp eases school pressure

DAN HARRISON Julia Gillard has been forced to change her school building program after complaints that tight schedules are inflating prices.

Education revolution 'faltering': expert

FARRAH TOMAZIN Federal Government's education revolution is headed for failure because of a lack of imagination, a leading educator warns.

University plan to attract disadvantaged

MIKI PERKINS Monash outlines a strategy to increase its quota of disadvantaged students and tap into boom suburbs.

VCE dreaming, now for the test

MIKI PERKINS After months of study, a year 12 student contemplates her future - and the first exam.

Unis must attract young poor students: study

MIKI PERKINS Universities need to form partnerships with schools much earlier to attract students from disadvantaged backgrounds, research shows.

Many teachers unqualified for their subject

DAN HARRISON More than half of Victoria's secondary schools have staff teaching subjects they are not qualified to teach, according to a survey.

Gillard to meet school principals

DAN HARRISON Julia Gillard will meet 150 school principals to discuss how the Federal Government can help lift educational standards.

Teachers set to give indigenous kids good start

SARAH-JANE COLLINS A new scheme aims to get more indigenous teachers into early childhood education.

Work can spell disaster for uni students

MIKI PERKINS AND FARRAH TOMAZIN A new study finds that extended working hours can force students to give up study.

Bushfires a test of study devotion

MIKI PERKINS How do you study for your VCE exams when you don't have a desk, or even a house?

Police move in to shift 'muck-up' girls

PAUL MILLAR AND ANDRA JACKSON Girls from an exclusive Catholic school disrupt traffic in Hawthorn in a muck-up day antic.

College collapse strands local students

SUSHI DAS Another private college collapses, leaving scores of students stranded.