Schools, universities, education policy, and student issues
As domestic university commencements plummet and student debt rises, Australian school leavers face an unprecedented cost-of-living squeeze. But the promised alternative pathway remains underexplored.
Grace Okonkwo 
A group of students at Baldivis Secondary College in Perth have been suspended after posting a TikTok video showing them disrupting a relief teacher's class. The incident highlights ongoing challenges with student conduct in Australian schools.
Grace Okonkwo Australia's first national inquiry into public school infrastructure has been launched to examine a deepening funding crisis, with private schools outspending public schools by $38 billion over the past decade.
Victoria Crawford Tasmanian teachers have imposed a total ban on administering NAPLAN tests, escalating their wage dispute with the state government as the national testing window gets underway.
Grace Okonkwo 
A 10-month-old baby's finger was severed at a childcare centre in Laidley on 24 February, triggering an investigation by the Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority.
Sarah Cheng 
Learning the Irish language is experiencing unprecedented growth in Sydney, as community organisations fill gaps in Australia's approach to heritage language education.
Grace Okonkwo 
An outer-suburban independent school in Victoria has moved beyond partial phone restrictions to a comprehensive device ban, showing what happens when schools take enforcement seriously.
Grace Okonkwo Australia's 2025 NAPLAN results show improvement in numeracy but persistent gender disparities and growing equity challenges between wealthy and disadvantaged regions.
Grace Okonkwo Australia's universities are being reshaped by a major funding overhaul starting this year. Here's what it means for students, families, and universities facing the transition.
Grace Okonkwo 
Drop needles on lined paper, count how many cross the lines, and you can approximate pi. This probability experiment reveals mathematics hiding in everyday randomness.
Mitchell Tan With more than one in three secondary students experiencing high anxiety or depression, Australia's schools face a growing crisis: too few counsellors to help them cope.
Grace Okonkwo A major UNSW Sydney study shows Australian teachers suffer depression and anxiety at rates three to four times higher than the national average, driven by unmanageable administrative workload. The retention crisis threatens student outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students.
Grace Okonkwo 
Campbelltown TAFE in Sydney's southwest was locked down after police responded to reports of suspicious activity, which turned out to involve a teenager with a water pistol.
Grace Okonkwo 
An investigation into a serious incident at a Queensland childcare centre has led to substantial financial penalties following findings of regulatory non-compliance.
Victoria Crawford Australian Esports League registrations are open for Term 1 2026, with high schools across the country discovering that competitive gaming builds real skills. Here's what parents need to know.
Jake Nguyen 
A Queensland daycare centre has been fined $15,000 following the death of a two-year-old during nap time, after an investigation uncovered multiple safety failures at the facility.
Tanya Birch Only 59.8% of Australian students now attend school 90% of the time, down from 71% in 2019. Education experts warn the trend threatens student outcomes and will require urgent, coordinated action to reverse.
Grace Okonkwo As nearly half of Australia's teachers consider quitting, the government's funding boost ignores the structural workload issues driving them away.
Grace Okonkwo 
Viral student-created social media accounts are using AI to generate crude memes mocking their teachers. Schools lack clear policies to respond, and educators are largely unprepared for this emerging form of harassment.
Grace Okonkwo Australia's social media ban for under-16s was designed to protect student wellbeing, but schools are now grappling with the fallout—and teachers say no one prepared them for the job.
Grace Okonkwo