BIBLE THOUGHT

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.” (Psalms 34:8 AKJV) I say amen to this. It’s true. God is good. even more concerning. Consistently, Australian students are performing poorer in the educational basics than students overseas with little hope for improvement, at least in the short term.

As for Australia’s university system, it would appear that a student’s parents’ income is a better arbiter of gaining admission to university than any other criteria. We should ask ourselves why the majority of Australian university students need to study part-time whilst the majority of overseas students are able to study full time?

The New Green Deal to address climate change in America recognises the importance of education by promising free tertiary education – to address income disparity and wage stagnation. The theory is that a better educated community lifts the overall standard of living – and also pays more tax.

The Universities Australia 2018 Snapshot claims substantial improvements in enrolments for students with a disability, indigenous students, students from a low socio-economic status and students from regional and remote areas.

The low base for these categories of student highlights the challenges for educational funding for the parties contesting this Federal Election. Parties need to accept our community faces real educational challenges. Spouting “first class” and “world’s best” may swell our pride but does nothing to address structural inequities. As Swannell says, Australian education should be ‘“on ability not the ability to pay”.

The last I checked, only one political party has the balls to offer to return to free undergraduate tertiary education in Australia.

CHRIS MEIBUSCH, Rifle Range Rd