Education
Exclusive
Why these public schools are receiving a $100m upgrade
The state government is ramping up efforts to keep gifted children in public comprehensive education.
- by Emily Kowal
Latest
‘I passed them on’: Schools boss was sent documents after he left top job, ICAC hears
A human resources adviser denied deleting numerous text messages that she sent from her work phone to School Infrastructure officials.
- by Lucy Carroll
‘Ignore the letter’: Schools boss intervened over contractor friend’s pay, inquiry told
The ICAC has heard that after questions were raised about a cycling buddy’s $2800-a-day pay, Anthony Manning asked for the document to be withdrawn.
- by Lucy Carroll
‘Wake-up call’ as Australian universities slip in world rankings
Twenty-five Australian universities dropped in rank this year, and face growing competition from other Asia-Pacific countries.
- by Nicole Precel and Emily Kowal
Parents in the dark as northern beaches school faces axe
A school in Sydney’s north is at risk of closing its doors after the school lost more than 200 students over the past six years.
- by Lucy Carroll
Schools boss signed off on $67,000 ‘fungus bench’ that was flagged as biosecurity hazard
The former school building boss has denied showing favouritism, despite his “communications fairy godmother” writing the brief for a tender her company won.
- by Michael McGowan
Updated
What we already know about this year’s NSW budget
From the “need to build, build, build” to pledges for transport, hospitals and schools, this is what we know about what will be in the NSW budget next week.
- by Penry Buckley
The hurdle one in four NSW school students needs to overcome
It takes six years for students from non-English-speaking backgrounds to keep up in class, with experts warning they are being misdiagnosed with learning disorders.
- by Emily Kowal
‘Communications fairy godmother’ had contract extended three times without tender, ICAC hears
The inquiry also heard Anthony Manning twice accepted tickets to the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix from a School Infrastructure client without declaring them.
- by Michael McGowan
Scots College fails to pay its staff on time
Staff at the Bellevue Hill private boys school, known for its $60 million castle, were left frustrated after not receiving their monthly paycheques last week.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
The schools boss, the 120 messages and a multimillion-dollar contract
The former head of the NSW school building unit has conceded that he should have disclosed his relationship with the director of consulting firm Paxon Group.
- by Lucy Carroll
Niki Savva set to release tell-all book on 2025 election
The veteran political pundit’s upcoming tome is set to hit the Canberra bubble like an earthquake this November.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Editorial
Rise of AI risks undermining HSC fairness
The NSW Education Standards Authority believes it is the responsibility of individual schools and school sectors to manage policies for the use of AI in their establishments.
- The Herald's View
Exclusive
HSC cheating doubles as take-home assignment offences rise
Principals say schools are ramping up in-class work and handwritten tasks in a bid to combat the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence.
- by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
Why talking to a 90-year-old should be part of every school’s curriculum
Twice a week, pupils from Glenwood Public School walk over to a nearby nursing home to visit their “grand buddies”.
- by Emily Kowal
Four years ago, 800 teenagers left school. Then, they were tracked
Disadvantaged students’ pathways to a career are typically non-linear in the years after leaving school, a study has found.
- by Christopher Harris
‘I probably should have’: Manning makes admission to ICAC inquiry over friendship
Anthony Manning went through lengthy questioning about his friendship with a consultant whose company earned more than $3 million between 2018 and 2022.
- by Michael McGowan
It only has a single bus and no sewerage connection. But enrolments at this school are booming
Marsden Park Anglican College is one of the many low-fee independent schools in Sydney’s west experiencing a surge in enrolments.
- by Emily Kowal
‘With hindsight, yes’: Former schools boss admits he should have disclosed conflicts, ICAC hears
Anthony Manning appeared in the witness stand for the first time, where the anti-corruption watchdog heard he had referred to public servants as “oxygen thieves”.
- by Michael McGowan and Michael Ruffles
Manning ICAC inquiry as it happened: Former head of School Infrastructure NSW quizzed on ethical, conflict of interest obligations
After nearly six weeks, the key subject of the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s investigation into School Infrastructure NSW is due to give evidence.
- by Michael McGowan and Michael Ruffles
Buck’s party and housewarming came in months before lucrative schools gig, inquiry told
Martin Berry told the ICAC he was brought in to work on “three property transactions” for public schools planned at Chatswood, Wentworth Point and Westmead.
- by Lucy Carroll
Exclusive
Gaming, smartphone addiction starts in primary school as daily screen times soar
The study of students in years four to eight found the average daily screen time for junior high schoolers was nine hours a day.
- by Jordan Baker
Sydney student wins $276,000 in damages over ‘fateful’ school long jump
A north shore primary school student was left with serious injuries during a long-jumping session at the school’s sandpit.
- by David Barwell
Why international students love Sydney’s in-demand public schools
Students like Liwon Ahn love Australia, but shrinking availability is making it more difficult for international students to enrol in Sydney’s public schools.
- by Emily Kowal
No phones, no traffic: Why parents are choosing boarding schools
NSW private boarding school enrolments are slowly recovering after being hit by a major fall in local and international student numbers.
- by Lucy Carroll
A new boss, his buddies and a $2.6 billion cash splash: Inside the ICAC probe into School Infrastructure
The ICAC is investigating a unit that insiders say “pushed the boundaries” when it came to department rules.
- by Michael McGowan and Lucy Carroll
School building boss asked staff to ‘chase’ friend over tender scheme
In December 2017 Anthony Manning told Martin Berry that a department contractor had been “chasing you for me” but was “not aware of our connection”.
- by Michael McGowan
Unravelling top schools unit’s network of consultants and 1400 contingent workers
On Thursday, the ICAC heard evidence from Michael Palassis, head of consulting firm Paxon Group, which was awarded a lucrative contract with School Infrastructure when the agency was first set up.
- by Lucy Carroll
Schools unit contractor was paid $2.4m with no formal job description
While Anthony Courtman worked for School Infrastructure, he was also engaged by a consultancy company that billed the agency for his work.
- by Lucy Carroll
‘Jews not allowed’: SafeWork savages Sydney University over antisemitism on campus
A preliminary report found that while the university had the authority, policies and procedures in place to eliminate antisemitism, no action was taken for about 11 months.
- by Christopher Harris
Major university announces cuts to jobs and degrees
Macquarie University is the latest set to cut jobs, but insists changes to courses will help address student demand and employability.
- by Christopher Harris
Revealed: The plans for Australia’s first Hindu school
On a block of land in western Sydney, Australia’s fastest-growing religious group is planning its first foray into mainstream education.
- by Mostafa Rachwani
‘No secrets in there’: The photos and the files at centre of ICAC inquiry
A former contractor to the NSW schools building unit has conceded to a corruption watchdog he should have deleted files he downloaded before going on to tender for a lucrative contract with the agency.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
I thought dating my uni tutor made me special. For him, it was a pattern
At the time, it didn’t feel particularly sordid, given there were only a handful of years between us in age. But later, I began to reflect on the inequity of power.
- by Madison Griffiths
Opinion
Unis are in a ‘moment of crisis’. Now is not the time for authoritarian control
Universities were created to be communities where ideas – wrong ones, right ones, contradictory ones – can coexist and coalesce into the truth.
- by Sophie Gee
Inside the ‘clown show’: ICAC grills school unit’s $2800-a-day executive
The former boss of the NSW school building unit approved a cycling friend’s $2800-a-day job without declaring a conflict of interest, the watchdog has heard.
- by Lucy Carroll
‘Lecture-bashing’ ban among new rules for Sydney University students
Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said the rules set clear standards for what is and isn’t acceptable, and balanced academic freedom and student wellbeing.
- by Christopher Harris
These students aced HSC English Extension. This is how they did it
Last year, almost 1500 students did English Extension 2. Just 19 made it into the Young Writers Showcase – this is what they shared in common.
- by Emily Kowal
Editorial
Universities cannot shirk responsibility for international student welfare
Universities, councils, and governments must do more for the students we entice here with the promise of our beautiful city.
- The Herald's View
Tom’s plan was to get a degree in Sydney. It went horribly wrong
Homelessness services say an increasing number of international students are sleeping on the streets.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Over my dead body: Martin Sharp, Cranbrook and the $33m house
The late, great pop artist Martin Sharp made the point in his will that he didn’t want his long-held family home sold to Cranbrook. That’s too bad.
- by Lucy Macken
Friend of schools boss worked on $600,000 contract before it was approved, ICAC hears
On Friday the ICAC heard from Martin Berry, whose company, Heathwest, earned more than $3 million during Anthony Manning’s time as the state’s school infrastructure boss.
- by Michael McGowan
Sydney Uni made half a billion dollars last year. Others are in deficit
This is how much every university made in surplus or lost in a deficit last year.
- by Christopher Harris
‘It was dodgy’: ICAC told of concerns over multimillion-dollar schools contract
An education official says she warned top executives in School Infrastructure about a contract, and that “the whole process was wrong”, but that she got the brush-off.
- by Lucy Carroll
Student loses court bid to stop Newington becoming co-ed
The 162-year-old college plans to admit girls in the junior school from next year and become a fully co-ed by 2033.
- by Lucy Carroll
Schools boss paid friend $100,000 for two months’ work, ICAC hears
ICAC’s investigation into former School Infrastructure NSW boss Anthony Manning heard he had a “command and control” management style that led to hiring rules being broken.
- by Michael McGowan
Selective school test fiasco to undergo independent review
The former head of the federal education department will investigate to what led to computer failures and riot police being called to some testing centres.
- by Emily Kowal
Children as young as six exposed to porn, principals warn
NSW principals have told an inquiry that drawings and behaviours from increasingly young students are showing they have been exposed to pornography.
- by Emily Kowal
Analysis
What the evidence says about sending your kids to single-sex v co-ed schools
This debate is as old as schooling itself: should boys and girls really be going to different schools?
- by Liam Mannix
Multimillion-dollar schools contract steered to ‘communications fairy godmother’, ICAC hears
The corruption inquiry also heard a private contractor was paid $1.65 million over the three years that he worked for School Infrastructure NSW.
- by Lucy Carroll
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/education