Gender discrimination approval for elite school
Victoria’s most elite school has been approved an exemption to discriminate on student enrolments based on gender. Here’s why the school fought for the exemption.
Education
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Victoria’s most elite school has been approved an exemption to discriminate on student enrolments based on gender.
The exemption, which will allow Geelong Grammar to offer priority enrolment and scholarships to girls over boys, was approved to correct a gender imbalance.
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Geelong Grammar first applied for the exemption of the Equal Opportunity Act in 2013.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has now extended that exemption, which has seen an increase in female enrolments in the past five years.
An extra 30 girls have been enrolled across the school’s four campuses since the exemption was approved, with the most noticeable change at its Toorak campus, where overall female take-up has risen from 33 per cent to 39 per cent.
But there was still a way to go — while two in five Geelong Grammar students were female, there were stronger imbalances in particular year levels.
In Grade 6 at the Toorak Campus, just one in four students are female.
Geelong Grammar principal Rebecca Cody wrote to families about the bid, that would “provide the school with the ability to maintain a coeducational balance by differentiating between students based on gender”.
“Geelong Grammar School strongly believes that coeducation sets our learners for success,” she wrote.
“We want it to be strong at all of our campuses for the benefit of all of our students, both boys and girls.”
The exemption would allow the school to discriminate on gender through its waiting and enrolment lists, place offerings, application rejections, advertising, offering of scholarships and grant incentive rebates or discounts.
A Victorian Government Gazette notice highlighted that the tribunal was satisfied it was appropriate to grant the exemption, which was approved until March 2024.
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