Sub-par students let into teaching

Education experts fear letting sub-standard students into teaching courses could lower standards. Picture: Thinkstock Source: news.com.au

HUNDREDS of Year 12 graduates who scored less than 50 in their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) are being offered university places in critical areas of nursing and teaching.

The Undergraduate Applications, Offers and Acceptances 2012 report found Year 12 applicants in the "50.00 or less" ATAR band have recorded the largest increase in the rate of university offers.

Twenty-four per cent of under-50 ATAR applicants were likely to be offered a place this year compared to 12 per cent in 2009.

Education and nursing were two of the largest contributors to that increase, with 532 education students and 373 nursing students not making past 50 at school but still being offered places the following year.

Education experts fear the increase could lower teacher standards and affect the future career prospects of our children.

Education Standards Institute director Dr Kevin Donnelly said standards have dropped since the Federal Government committed to increasing the number of student enrolling in university from disadvantaged backgrounds.

''It is very dangerous to have people doing an education degree going into the school and not being academically able. A lot of these graduates by their own admission don't a very high ability in maths or English.

The number of below-50 students offered places in all uni courses has doubled from 3560 to 7120 over the last four years.

''It is wrong to suggest that everybody should go to university as not everybody has the ability, interest or motivation,'' Dr Donnelly said.

''It lowers the prestige of the profession and so teaching is not going to be seen as a worthwhile career because the perception will be it's only for those kids who can't do anything else.''

Australian Parent's Council director executive director Ian Dalton called for an investigation into the trend.

''It's certainly showing a trend that warrants a solid piece of investigation,'' he said.

''We need to find some evidence whether there is a casual link between low teacher scores and poor teacher performance.''

A spokeswoman for Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans said ATARs should not be seen as an indicator of the quality of the higher education system.

''The minister rejects the notion that opening the doors to more students, including those from regional areas and disadvantaged backgrounds, lowers the quality of the system,'' she said.

''Australian universities enrol students they believe are capable of achieving success and meeting the high academic standards required.''

The report also found health (10.2 per cent), engineering (7.6 per cent) and natural and physical sciences (6.5 per cent) saw the largest increase in offers to students in 2012.

Stanwell Park resident Emma Leney just finished her first year of Bachelor of Engineering at Wollongong University after graduating from St John Bosco College in Engadine with an ATAR of 93.45.

''I was attracted to engineering because I did extension maths and sciences at school and engineering involves a lot of those things,'' she said.

''The lecturers at the start of the year told us we were one of the biggest classes and that did surprise me.''

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Sub-par students let into teaching

Dengan url

https://duniadiggi.blogspot.com/2012/12/sub-par-students-let-into-teaching.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Sub-par students let into teaching

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Sub-par students let into teaching

sebagai sumbernya