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Education

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Cronulla High School in Sydney’s south.

Sydney teacher found to have racially vilified Indian student

During a year 12 business studies class at Cronulla High School, the teacher allegedly described Indian people as “Uber drivers and Deliveroo people”. 

  • by Sarah Keoghan

Latest

NSW will ‘lead the way’ with teaching Indigenous experience of colonisation

A proposed overhaul to the school history syllabus will include a compulsory unit on Indigenous Australians’ experiences of colonisation in Australia.

  • by Lucy Carroll
A new unit on the era of colonisation will be introduced to deepen high school students’ knowledge about Aboriginal culture and past.
Exclusive

Indigenous experience of colonisation mandatory under school history overhaul

Indigenous Australians’ perspective of European colonisation will be taught to all year 7 to 10 students under proposed changes to the NSW history syllabus.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Students in 2021 were awarded higher grades compared with 2011 at some of the biggest NSW universities.
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Distinctions with a difference: Top grades double for students at state’s biggest unis

About 40 per cent of students at the University of NSW and Sydney Uni picked up the two highest grades, new data shows.

  • by Lucy Carroll
When she first graduated, Grose View Public School primary teacher Sarah Trestrail felt ill-equipped to  do her job.

‘Thrown in the deep end’: Inside the plan to fix the problems with teacher training

Sarah Trestrail did a four-year education degree, then quickly realised she had no practical skills to cope with the realities of the job.

  • by Lucy Carroll
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Don’t Milsons Point that thing at me

Are these rumours in the range of normal?

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Universities Australia chief Catriona Jackson says a homogenous messaging campaign for all university students in the country is unlikely to cut through.

Universities Australia defends dropping $1.5m sexual consent campaign

A national survey of 43,000 university students found one in six had been sexually harassed and one in 20 had been assaulted since they began their studies.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Frying in the chapel

Where anniversary waltz shifts to circle dance.

Alix Ratcliffe and her team teach Future You a module that encourages young women to consider studying STEM subjects

Girls have overtaken boys in science participation. In workplaces, it’s a completely different story

Young women get better grades in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but progress on jobs for women in these industries has been painfully slow.

  • by Liam Mannix
Universities have taken differing positions on the Voice referendum.

Where do universities stand on the Voice? For many, it’s complicated

Why are some universities advocating a Yes vote in the Voice referendum while others have not taken a position?

  • by Matt Wade
Column 8 granny dinkus
Opinion

Stamping out phishing attacks

Nigerian Prince takes the scenic route.

Family skiing holiday
Opinion

School holidays should be whenever parents say so

Principals should not get in the way of a family holiday, even if it is during school term.

  • by Brad Emery
Young people should be aware of the serious dangers from sharing nude images.
Opinion

The crucial area that the Welcome to Sex book gets wrong

Young people need clear advice on the dangers of sending nude images of a person under the age of 18 years

  • by Susan McLean
Put your practice to the test

Can you answer these 50 HSC questions?

From mathematics to business studies - take the 2023 HSC challenge.

Carlos Sanson Jr’s ATAR never mattered but the lessons learnt from year 12 have served him well.

Carlos got a 95 ATAR. It was 95 more points than he needed

Bump star Carlos Sanson jr was part of the Reddam House cohort that catapulted the school into the HSC top 10. But to achieve his dream career, what he learnt at school mattered a lot more than his ATAR.

  • by Abby Seaman
Cheng topped Extension Science in 2019.
1:57

Eunice Cheng's top tips for HSC Science

Cheng topped Extension Science in 2019.

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Syed completed her studies while competing in robotics competitions.
1:32

Daniya Syed's top tips for HSC Design and Technology

Syed completed her studies while competing in robotics competitions.

Ma was the 2020 dux of North Sydney Boys High.
2:54

Desmond Ma's top tips for HSC Legal Studies

Ma was the 2020 dux of North Sydney Boys High.

Dr Tam is responsible for every student's ATAR. Here she busts all the myths about how your ATAR is calculated.
1:06

Dr Helen Tam explains how your ATAR is calculated

Dr Tam is responsible for every student's ATAR. Here she busts all the myths about how your ATAR is calculated.

Kruszelnicki has made a career out of a love of science.
2:15

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki gives his tips for HSC Science

Kruszelnicki has made a career out of a love of science.

Julia is planning a career in performing arts.
0:59

Julia Boyd's top tips for HSC Drama

Julia is planning a career in performing arts.

The star of the hit series Bump and former Reddam House student shares his secrets.
0:26

Carlos Sanson Jr's top tips for HSC Drama

The star of the hit series Bump and former Reddam House student shares his secrets.

Kim topped the state in Extension 1 Mathematics and came seventh in Extension 2 in 2019.
0:59

Kim Zheng's top tips for HSC Mathematics

Kim topped the state in Extension 1 Mathematics and came seventh in Extension 2 in 2019.

Toby is set to study Electrical Engineering at university next year.
1:17

Toby Maroulis's top tips for HSC Electrotechnology

Toby is set to study Electrical Engineering at university next year.

Kiran was the 2018 HSC Music dux.
0:24

Kiran Gupta's top tips for HSC Music

Kiran was the 2018 HSC Music dux.

Justin Vihinen.

Treading a different path to the HSC

HSC Pathways offers students who have additional needs the opportunity to complete their studies over multiple years.

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Kaitlyn Doan.

When the HSC leads straight to a dream job

VET courses help get students job ready. Here’s how to succeed in them.

Daniya Syed and her Medibot invention.

How an old Disney movie inspired Daniya to create a medical robot

Whether it’s a medical robot or a high-tech weather station, HSC technology subjects are an opportunity to indulge your passion.

Cherrybrook teacher Eddie Woo says explain your solution to a friend to be certain of your own understanding.
6:13

Eddie Woo's top tips for HSC maths

Cherrybrook teacher Eddie Woo says explain your solution to a friend to be certain of your own understanding.

HSC creative arts.

Choose work that you love to excel in HSC creative arts

Tips for drama, art and music to help you do your best in this year’s HSC.

HSIE HSC

Putting a love of history to use for the community

Top tips for succeeding in HSC history, legal studies and business studies.

Eunice Cheng, the 2019 HSC science dux.

How high school science led to the perfect career for Eunice

Eunice Cheng was the 2019 HSC science dux. Now she’s researching dementia and is passionate about serving others. Here are her tips for succeeding in HSC science.

Maths teacher Eddie Woo had originally planned to teach history and English.

Eddie Woo’s five steps to acing HSC maths

The Cherrybrook teacher says you can appreciate mathematics as easily as you can appreciate a Sydney sunrise.

Reading and re-reading your texts will boost your confidence in English.

‘Find your voice’ to succeed in HSC English

A top student, a Herald reporter and teacher share their tips for HSC English.

Be proud of what you have achieved already.

Put your best foot forward: the essentials for tackling the HSC

Be organised, know the rules, and get those dates in your calendars.

The University of Sydney is among universities no longer offering remote unit options to undergraduates.

School-leavers reject attending university from their bedrooms

Year 12 students say they want to study on campus, as more universities withdraw their pandemic-era online classes.

  • by Mary Ward
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St Patrick’s Primary School  kindergarten students Levi Wiffin, Isaiah Chehab, Gabriella Yousif, Marcus Mieth and Jasmine Hammond dressed up for 100 Days of Kindy in Guildford, Sydney.

Cardigans, wigs and canes: Why kindy students are dressing up as 100-year-olds

Barely heard of in Australia a decade ago, more and more teachers are jumping on the 100 Days of School trend.

  • by Mary Ward
15-year-old Andrew Attard, who attends Rose Bay Secondary College, is the youngest student doing the HSC this year.

Andrew learnt to read at three. This year he is the youngest person sitting the HSC

He started high school aged nine, is a member of Mensa and reads astrophysics books in his spare time. Meet Andrew Attard.

  • by Christopher Harris
School zones on Pittwater Road in Narrabeen on Friday, July 2, 2023. Speed cameras in Narrabeen school zones issue the highest number of fines in the state. Photo: Nikki Short / The Sydney Morning Herald .composite with map

The Sydney suburbs with the most speeding fines in school zones

Fines totalling more than $200 million have been issued to NSW drivers for speeding in school zones since 2017 – and one region of Sydney is the worst offender.

  • by Andrew Taylor and Nigel Gladstone
A child doing a test.

Apology

On Sunday, July 16, smh.com.au published a story with the headline “Nine-year-olds cheating on entrance exams as pressure mounts for opportunity classes”, accompanied by a photograph of a nine-year-old boy.

A teacher said he was destined for a future as ‘factory fodder’. Two habits saved him

Tony Birch was a high-school dropout, but the lessons learnt while training for a marathon set him on the road to becoming an award-winning author.

  • by Tony Birch
Maddi Eveleigh is studying medicine at the University of Sydney.

‘Wealthy families, private schools’: Have universities forgotten who their students really are?

Experts warn funding cuts have led to the rise of universities operating like corporations instead of public institutions. What spiky ideas can fix the sector?

  • by Sherryn Groch, Lucy Carroll and Nicole Precel
Sydney Boys High .

The Sydney public school where parents voluntarily contribute $1 million

Parental contributions for public schools have not returned to their pre-pandemic levels, yet Sydney Boys High received more than $1 million in financial contributions in 2022.

  • by Christopher Harris
Education Minister Jason Clare conceded the current university fee scheme was not working. But he did not commit to scrapping it.

Students stuck paying high HECS debts for ‘failed’ scheme

Thousands of young people studying law, arts, commerce or economics will keep paying $15,000 a year, as the government waits on advice about restructuring fees.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Shakespeare

Dutton for punishment: Liberals failing to learn election lessons

The opposition leader’s dour persona and with his inability to display any soft skills translates is a voter turnoff.

International student Kate Phan lives with Melinda Mackay in Pennant Hills.
Exclusive

‘Like their Aussie home’: Foreign student homestays floated to ease housing crunch

Encouraging families to rent their spare rooms to students tax-free has been raised as an option to relieve housing stress by members of a high-level panel.

  • by Angus Thompson
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An interim report from the first major review of the country’s higher education system in 15 years has found that university funding relies on volatile revenue streams, lacks transparency and requires a redesign.

Levy on $10b in foreign student fees could cover tertiary shortfalls: minister

Australia’s top universities say a potential levy on overseas student fees could deter international enrolments and damage research culture.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos and Lucy Carroll
Eric Wong outside Hornsby Court on Wednesday.

‘High-level betrayal’: Teacher sentenced for secretly filming up students’ skirts

Eric Wong was sentenced to 14 months’ jail on Wednesday but two hours later he was released on bail pending an appeal.

  • by Michael Evans and with AAP
The decision to cut off access to university loans and subsidies for students who fail half their subjects was made by former education minister Dan Tehan.

‘Too unequal’: Controversial university fail rule to be scrapped

University students who fail half their subjects will no longer be stripped of government loans under Labor’s reversal of a contentious policy, while Indigenous students will be guaranteed a uni place in an overhaul to higher education.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos and Lucy Carroll
University student Vina Afaj can spend five hours a day commuting. She says study hubs in the outer suburbs will help, but won’t be enough.

Vina spends five hours commuting to university. New study hubs could help

The education minister hopes study hubs that take universities to the suburbs will remove tertiary education barriers for students living in outer suburbs.

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos and Robyn Grace