Educational System in Australia

Professor :        Olga Alonsabe, Ph. D.                                 

Student :           Linda D. Saab

Subject :            Comparative Studies of Educational System

Date  Assigned:  January  8, 2011

Dear Dr. Olga,

            I consider my assignment “ Educational System in Australia “ as blessing  because I was able to research and familiarize their  educational  system. One of the university in which  I researched is the Queensland University. The motto is "By means of knowledge and hard work"   and one of the missions is to provide  students opportunities to grow closer to God as they pursue their academic interest and professional development.

I learned that the their educational system consists of 12 years . The  primary  starts  5 year old (year 1) until 12 years old (year 7). For the secondary junior high school 13-14 years old (year 8,9,10) and for senior high school  15,16 (year 11-12) . For students who has problem in their studies will be put in special class to help academic deficits. Special class such as“ Family Day Care and Child Care” Results of last 2 yrs of  high school will be evaluated for entry level of universities. Results for each subject will be compared to the rest of  students. Board of Secondary Studies Calculates an “OP” (over all position) using the formula of High School results and test called “QCS” ( in Queensland) taken by every year 12 .The last 2 years is where the students begin to guide their education towards their chosen professions. The Certificate and Diplomas of Vocational Courses allow the students to enter and leave different levels of academic studies. The technical courses are often considered  a “bridge” to enter in Australian University and  after completion of certificate course, credits for Diploma courses or Degrees may be given for the students who continues in the universities.

The proposed K+12 Curriculum of Aquino administration is patterned after the Educational System of Australia. If it could be push through and with the implementation would be followed religiously then our country will improve. The problem if after the term of present administration if the successor will have another system .

            I learned  that the schedule of lessons is from Monday to Friday,,  8:45 am to 3 pm, with breaks for lunch and snacks. For Extra Curricular activities such as soccer practice, dance classes, etc. is done after school hours or Saturdays mornings. They have also private and public schools . The private school in general are related to a religion and usually they offer more options in music, sports and dances

The government schools offer subsidized transport . Their school calendar starts in January and end in December. During the school year there are small breaks (6-7 weeks) two terms per semester . The school vacations are in general in April, July and September.

            Universities in Australia offer graduate programs or post graduate. For graduate certificates it takes six months, for the master degrees one year, for the master honor 1.5 year and for doctorate it takes two years. The degrees are not measured by time but by subjects courses taken per semester. For students, they have “study now pay later”. It will only be deducted in a percentile of their income by the time have earned enough money or get job.

Australians are very friendly and helpful people .They live in coastal areas because the interior of the country called "the Outback", can be a very arid area with m   any deserts and lack of water. Australia is considered one of the most competitive nations on Earth. This covers all areas of life including the work place. Today there is not a single international contest without at least many Aussies running in top position.

Implementation of policies is strictly followed in Australia. When they going fishing they bring    gear , bait and   a ruler to measure their  catch. To drive a boat they  need a license, except if the motor is less than horsepower.  If they catch a fish that doesn't comply with the rules, they  return it immediately to  the sea. It’s so different in the Philippines when it comes to fishing. 

Cinemas  in Australia are disappearing from the streets and are moving to inside Shopping Centers .Australians are compulsive buyers having some of the biggest credit card debts in the world. In the Philippines compulsive buying is seasonal like fiesta, Christmas and other important days.

 Nothing demands as much attention from Australians as a House. For them, it  is  a national symbol of security. Firstly, it is relatively easy to buy a house in Australia, as soon as they  have a job for more than 6 months. The banks finance them for up to 30 years, and the government is giving an incentive for first homebuyers. There are lot of people who buy 2 or 3 houses to rent out and let the rent pay the bloody Mortgage. Older people also don't stay long, because as soon as they have the Mortgage paid off, they sell the place; buy a smaller one, put some cash aside for retirement and travel.  Many Australians don't grow roots in the place they were born. However, in the Philippines it’s a culture to preserve the ancestral homes and prefer to grow old and die in the place where they were born.  Even for those who   have green cards, they still come back and preferred to die in our place.

Going to the beach on weekends  because of the thinning of the Ozone layer above some areas, there is a greater danger of harmful rays from the sun. Australia is one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world; so if you go to the beach, take hats and sun block. Another ,it is prohibited to sell anything on the beach without a council permit, and wherever dogs are allowed, they must be on a leash. The majority of the population are very concerned about ecological and preservation matters. Not only will normal people report damage to the environment, but the authorities will also give you heavy fines for dumping anything you are not allowed to. They really are strict in following laws. I have high hopes that Filipinos would start  segregating waste and be more concern of the environment.

Australia isn't bountiful work wise contrary to most peoples' opinion . It is just like any other country in the world. Unemployment in Australia is around 6% in some areas and in others can reach up to12%. A qualified person who can speak good English will have much more chance of finding a job than everybody else.

Australians are very hard workers and very specialized in one skill. Even those with multiple skills, don't necessarily find that they bring better work. Specialization is the keyword in Australia. They are very competitive when working, and this competition can be reflected in difficulties holding down a job and it motivates the worker to keep up with the latest technology.

Payments are made mostly weekly, and are related to the number of hours worked that week. Australian average wages are something around AU$ 498 per week or AU$ 25,846.00 per annum. Their money would roll and they could avoid debts. Unlike in our situation like teachers .They are paid monthly and would end of “ No more take home pay” Most employee are entangled with the cobweb of debts.

The greatest problem for professionals from other countries working in Australia, is the protectionism from State's unions and syndicates that devote themselves to local workers. Despite having 20 years work experience as a plumber in England, had to take a course and get a State license to work in Australia. It is worthwhile ended , knowing Educational System in Australia.