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University of Sydney chancellor, David Thodey (right) with vice chancellor Mark Scott and former chancellor Belinda Hutchinson.

New Sydney Uni chancellor weighs in on Mark Scott controversy after months of turmoil

New chancellor David Thodey said the university sector was under unprecedented scrutiny in politics and the media.

  • by Daniella White

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Simon Oye, Emily Blumoser and Sam O’Driscoll after the maths exam on Monday.

HSC maths exam asks for more words and fewer numbers. Can you pass the test?

It is the second year in a row that mathematics students have been told to eschew calculations in their exam for some questions and answer in sentences instead.

  • by Christopher Harris
NSW is the capital of selective schooling in Australia.

Hundreds of parents appeal their child’s rejection from selective school. Only a handful will win

Analysts say the proliferation of coaching colleges is giving parents false hope and misguided notions about how talented their child is.

  • by Christopher Harris
The stimuli used in Tuesday’s HSC exam that publisher Florian Schroeder has said is AI generated.
Exclusive

This controversial image stumped HSC students. Now its creator is weighing in

The person behind the controversial image used in Tuesday’s English HSC exam has confirmed that it was made by artificial intelligence.

  • by Daniel Lo Surdo
Universities have been accused of compromising standards due to accommodate for an influx of foreign students in postgraduate degrees.
Exclusive

‘Google Translate, fractured English’: The sandstone unis accused of dropping academic standards

Universities have been accused of compromising standards to accommodate for an influx of foreign students in postgraduate degrees.

  • by Daniella White
Pro-Palestine protesters in Sydney

Parents condemn plans to bring Gaza protests into the classroom

The Parents & Citizens Federation has condemned some teachers’ plans for pro-Palestinian activism in our schools.

  • by Max Maddison
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Sydney Grammar Latin students

‘Maths with a soul’: The HSC subject that has only 114 students

Few students have the opportunity to study Latin. Here’s how Friday’s Extension exam went for them.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Foster is a former Socceroo captain turned human rights activist.

Sydney Grammar cancels Craig Foster talk

An upcoming speech from the former Socceroo turned human rights activist was abruptly pulled by the headmaster of the $45,000-a-year school this week.

  • by Kishor Napier-Raman and Stephen Brook
Child abuse generic
Exclusive

Eight children ‘abused’, third daycare worker arrested in three days

It comes as a concerned mother demanded answers about one of the alleged offenders, who worked multiple shifts at her child’s inner-Sydney centre.

  • by Amber Schultz
England’s school reforms included a change to a knowledge-rich curriculum

UK ‘education firebrand’ has lessons on transforming our schools

Nick Gibb led an ambitious suite of education reforms during his more than 10 years as Britain’s schools minister.

  • by Lucy Carroll
South Sydney HSC students (from left) Ruby Fletcher, Drew Kelso, Spyder Shkolnik, Tergel Baasanjav, Bessie Kleiman, and Elliot Ross.

‘Bit of a waste’: Students forced to abandon creative stories in HSC English twist

Advanced English students were met with a surprise on Wednesday when the final question asked them to ponder a world without the amenity of modern technology.

  • by Daniel Lo Surdo
Sydney girls HSC students Ally Xie, Sofia Malik, Rozana Abonty and Stephanie La following their completion of the HSC English advanced paper 1 exam. Sydney Girls High.

‘A strange question’: HSC students quizzed about smell in English exam

When 76,000 students sat down for their first test on Tuesday morning, they got a few surprises.

  • by Christopher Harris
Sydney University vice chancellor Mark Scott.
Exclusive

Governing body backs Sydney University boss Mark Scott amid resignation calls

One of the newest members of Sydney University’s senate has publicly supported the under-fire vice chancellor.

  • by Daniella White
Year 12 student at St Mary’s Senior High School.
Exclusive

The HSC subjects being abandoned, and the courses that are skyrocketing

The proportion of HSC students enrolled in languages and chemistry has declined over the decade, while PDHPE and business studies numbers have surged.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Thousands of offers have been made to students for study at Western Sydney University, University of Wollongong. Thousands of students at Macquarie University secured an offer via early entry last year.

Critics say this post-HSC pathway favours rich students. Universities don’t agree

One of Sydney’s major universities only admitted 965 students last year based on their ATAR alone, as the number of early entry offers continues to increase.

  • by Christopher Harris
HSC students Nika Kovalenko, left, and Kseniia Vereshchak.

Kseniia and Nika will face their most daunting HSC exam first

The girls are excited to stay in Australia, after learning they will be considered for a residency pathway which will qualify them for HECS. But first, they must tackle HSC English.

  • by Mary Ward
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Education Minister Jason Clare

International student caps slammed by Greens, Coalition as ‘chaotic’ quick fix

A parliamentary inquiry recommends Education Minister Jason Clare be forced to consult universities before capping numbers.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
The University of Sydney fell one place in the rankings this year.

‘Serious warning signs’: Sydney universities slide in global rankings

The nation’s universities suffered alarming falls on a prestigious global ratings index, with seven assigned their worst positions since 2016.

  • by Noel Towell and Christopher Harris
Students at Queensland’s James cook University.

Want to future-proof your career? Here are some courses to consider

Postgraduate study can enhance your current vocation or take you in an entirely new direction.

  • by Alexandra Cain
Rose Lewis with parents at her graduation from Western Sydney University.

I switched from law to health to have an impact in my community

Postgraduate health studies have been on the rise since the pandemic, driven by people wanting to make a difference.

  • by Peter Hanlon
Valentina Trajkovski fits her studies into three days each week and completes a full week of work in the other four.

Valentina’s PhD could hold the answer to nurse burnout and retention

Her research looks at how nurses can be better supported to stay in a profession that is forecasted to have an undersupply of 70,000 by 2035.

  • by Peter Hanlon
Alice Leung in Parliament House ahead of the awards on Tuesday.

Ice-cream, TikTok: How a public school chemistry teacher won an award from the PM

Leung was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools on Tuesday night for her creative teaching strategies.

  • by Christopher Harris
More children are leaving school in year 10

Revealed: The schools where more students don’t make it past year 10

Search the full list to see which schools are – and are not – retaining students past year 10.

  • by Christopher Harris
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Opinion

He calls Albanese weak but is Dutton just too aggro for The Lodge?

Peter Dutton clearly projects himself as a tough leader. But is Australia ready for another hard-man PM?

  • by Jacqueline Maley
Killarney Heights Public School students Alicia Preston, Anais Sales, Hugo Prud’homme and Ralph Korompis. It has been 25 years since the school started its French bilingual program, and the suburb now has the largest population of French speakers in Australia.

The school that turned a Sydney suburb French

With 6.1 per cent of its population speaking French in the home, Killarney Heights is the Francophone capital of Australia. But it was not always this way.

  • by Mary Ward
Meg Garrido with her daughter Violet who attends Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus.
Exclusive

‘It would be crazy’: Parents fight co-ed proposal for Sydney’s top-ranked schools

The state government has floated a proposal to make several public high schools across the northern beaches, Hornsby and Kogarah co-educational.

  • by Lucy Carroll
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Opinion

As a Jewish academic, I have not experienced antisemitism at Sydney Uni

Creating a false panic around university antisemitism runs the risk of building genuine fear in my community. Forcing the vice chancellor to resign would set a dangerous precedent.

  • by Eva Shteinman
Tim Soutphommasane calls the linguistic and cultural differences between Australia and England “fascinating … I’ve had to learn to read between the lines again.”

War, elitism, racism: The Aussie taking Oxford uni’s hot topics off the boil

Tim Soutphommasane, the first chief diversity officer at one of Britain’s most storied institutions, is no stranger to controversy.

  • by Paola Totaro
In the year to May, about one in five prospective students had their visa applications refused.
Exclusive

Crackdown sees international student visa applications plummet

Visa applications from overseas students have plummeted in recent months, realising university fears of a massive economic toll from new government policies.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Sheikh Ahmad Jundi, a board member of Al Sadiq College, has resigned after video emerged of him expressing support for Hezbollah.
Exclusive

Sydney school board member stands down after Hezbollah speeches

Sheikh Ahmad Jundi has resigned from an Islamic college after questions from the Herald about his support for the Iran-backed group in two speeches.

  • by Patrick Begley and Lucy Carroll
Ill-discipline in our schools.
Editorial

Bullying, violence a scourge in Australian schools

The suicide of a 12-year-old student has forced the issue of school bullying in NSW into the spotlight.

  • The Herald's View
Michael Kondratenko

Meet the student who never missed a single day of school in 13 years

Michael sat through about 864,000 minutes of class time – a feat believed to be unmatched by any other student in recent history.

  • by Christopher Harris
Worker checking solar panels

Green talent boom: sustainability ‘beast’ demands new graduate skills

A quick online search for “sustainability” jobs throws up more than 16,000 vacancies - but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

  • by Iain Gillespie
Master’s degrees in clinical psychology were again the top choices for postgraduate students in NSW and the ACT.

Mental health crisis driving huge demand for skilled practitioners

Severe workforce shortages and soaring demand mean a vast range of employment opportunities for mental health practitioners.

  • by Iain Gillespie
Governments are backing closer ties between industry and universities,

‘Capability and ingenuity’: Higher education’s partnership revolution

The traditional view of university researchers as separated from the real world is changing as business partnerships grow.

  • by Anders Furze
Australia has a big skills deficit, opening up opportunities for well-credentialed graduates and lifelong learners.

Future jobs: how lifelong learning can turbocharge your career

Australia is experiencing a critical shortage of skilled workers across many industries with tech know-how topping skills demand.

  • by Alexandra Cain
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Parents say schools are financially penalising them when they withdraw children due to bullying

The high price of withdrawing a bullied child from private school

Parents say schools are financially penalising them - and some are being made to sign non-disclosure agreements - if they withdraw their children due to bullying.

  • by Jordan Baker
Mental health organisations say social media can provide free access to support for young people.
Editorial

We need to learn more about managing social media and teens

A ban of any kind is a blunt instrument. Australia must invest more in learning about the problems – and advantages – of social media use for teenagers.

  • The Herald's View
New crime statistics show a rise in assaults in schools over two years.
Exclusive

Students assaulting multiple staff, carrying weapons: NSW schools’ behaviour crisis

About 2300 assaults were reported across the state’s private and public schools in the year to June.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Cranbrook, which charges $46,497 for year 12 tuition, says students will be regularly surveyed about bullying.

Cranbrook teachers to be schooled on what a respectful workplace looks like

The measures cap off a tumultuous couple of months for the private school following allegations of workplace bullying and complaints about how abuse was handled.

  • by Christopher Harris
Parents Kelly and Matt say farewell to 12 year old Charlotte at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park, Sydney. Charlotte took her own life after being bullied at school. 27 September 2024 Photo: Janie Barrett

Mother’s heartbreaking farewell to ‘soulmate’ Charlotte

Hundreds of mourners packed into the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in Bossley Park, many wearing touches of pink, to say goodbye to the 12-year-old girl.

  • by Jessica McSweeney
Thomas McKeown is accused of sexually touching several school students.
Exclusive

NSW school teacher charged with sexually touching multiple students

The 36-year-old has been charged with 30 counts of abusing students over a nine-month period.

  • by Clare Sibthorpe
NSW Police unlawfully arrested two teenage girls over a school altercation, a court has found.

Bullying, assault claims at Sydney school, girls arrested ‘unlawfully’

The “violent and shocking” assault of a year 9 girl was caught on CCTV. The police log recorded that “up to 30 students” were attacking staff and students.

  • by Michaela Whitbourn
Universities which will be most affected by international student caps.

Revealed: The number of students each university is set to lose under crackdown

NSW will lose almost 13,000 students, representing a hit of hundreds of millions of dollars in direct revenue. See the full list.

  • by Daniella White
NSW Education Minister Prue Car refuses to sign a new funding deal with the federal government.
Exclusive

Double or nothing: Why NSW rejected billions for public school children

The funding stand-off comes as total number of permanent and temporary teachers has gone backwards in NSW.

  • by Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
Christine Oliveri, here with children Valentino and Ellaria, moved to Harrington Park in Sydney’s south-west a decade ago.
Editorial

The importance of proper planning for new suburbs

The failure to plan for public primary schools has allowed the private primary school to steal the march in Sydney’s fast-developing fringe suburbs.

  • The Herald's View
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primary school map.
Exclusive

The map that reveals Sydney’s flight from public primary schools

Public primary schools have more than 20,000 fewer enrolments than five years ago. And it’s not all because of a switch to private schools.

  • by Lucy Carroll and Nigel Gladstone
University of Sydney vice chancellor Professor Mark Scott speaking at the hearing.

‘Blindsided’: Sydney University vice chancellor resists calls for resignation

Internal documents obtained by the Herald reveal he was “blindsided” by the Jewish community’s reaction to a deal to shut down the pro-Palestinian encampment.

  • by Daniella White and Lucy Carroll
Sydney school student Charlotte, aged 12, took her own life.
Distressing content

Charlotte lost her voice. Now her family want school bullying rules transformed

The death of a 12-year-old schoolgirl has left her family distraught and triggered calls for a reassessment of how schools deal with bullying claims.

  • by Jordan Baker
President of the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council Denise Lofts.

Public schools to take on cyberbullying after class, publish clear rules

It will be mandatory for schools to outline strategies for teachers to identify, prevent and respond to bullying – including cyberbullying outside the classroom.

  • by Christopher Harris

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/national/education