Australia in the Context of the ATC21S Project

Abstract

Schooling in Australia involves 1 year in preparatory school and 12 years of primary and secondary school, with compulsory education to 15 years of age (Australian Government, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. http://www.deewr.gov.au. Accessed 8 Nov 2012, 2012). Education can be undertaken in government or non-government (independent or Catholic) schools. The Australian Constitution allocates responsibility for the operation of schooling to the state and territory governments (Australian Government, Review of funding for schooling. Emerging issues paper. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. http://www.deewr.gov.au, 2010b). The Australian Government (Review of funding for schooling. Emerging issues paper. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra. http://www.deewr.gov.au, 2010b) is responsible for providing national leadership in educational reforms, and investing substantial funding in their delivery. An example of such leadership was the development of a national curriculum for which the states and territories bear responsibility for implementation. All state and territory Ministers with responsibility for education, and the Federal Minister for Education, are brought together in a Ministerial Council approximately every 10 years to determine strategies for the future of Australia’s education systems. The strategies are published as a ‘declaration’ after each Ministerial Council, and the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA, Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. MCEETYA, Melbourne. Retrieved from http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf, 2008) initiated the redesign of the curriculum to develop successful learners, who are expected to have the skills necessary to be “creative and productive users of technology, especially ICT, as a foundation for success in all learning areas” (MCEETYA, Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. MCEETYA, Melbourne. Retrieved from http://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf, 2008, p. 8). Under the National Curriculum, the general capabilities to be taught across all learning areas include ICT competence and the ability to work collaboratively in teams, across cultures and disciplines.

In the 21st Century Australia’s capacity to provide a high quality of life for all will depend on the ability to compete in the global economy on knowledge and innovation.

(Ministerial Council on Education Employment Training and

Youth Affairs [MCEETYA] 2008, p. 4)