Our student pop-up event series for 2018 began with a Panel Discussion on Educational Inequality, featuring panellists Dr Carmen Lawrence, Mr Sione Murray and Mr Harry Sanderson.
The informative discussion organised by our student committee, considered the issue of educational inequality from both a broader policy perspective as well as through anecdotal stories, and highlighted that Australia has one of the highest rates of educational disparity in developed countries.
The panelists discussed how this leads to negative social outcomes and contrasted Australia’s educational situation with Finland’s educational system, which has greatly minimised this issue. They also reinforced that it is important to try to achieve equity, rather than equality (the same for everyone) in education. A standardised national curriculum may be in place in Australia, but regional and economic differences mean that its delivery is greatly varied, and better outcomes may flow from a more place-based approach to education, in which teaching and learning is more connected to the local context of students.