With universities and educational institutions pushing to improve access to remote studying opportunities, journalist KRISTIAN EVAGELISTIS looks into what educational pathways are becoming available for students, and the growing pains of that process.

AUSTRALIA is known for its great educational system and opportunities, with some of the highest quality teaching and facilities.

But beneath this successful exterior exist some issues that need to be addressed. Inadequate pathways and opportunities for struggling or disadvantaged students can make Australia less accommodating for those not from privileged backgrounds.

The Australian system still has a long way to go in terms of educational pathways for all students, which will be explored in this article. 

Issue of unequal educational opportunities

In every country around the world, education is the key to improving the socioeconomic landscape as well as improving the futures and career opportunities for all students.

Australia has a world-class educational system, but for many students, access to this quality education might be more difficult than it seems.

The advent of online learning makes it easier to enrol into higher education courses such as the online Master of Education, but those from disadvantaged communities or backgrounds need a different kind of support system. 

Disparities in resources, funding, and teaching quality that students from disadvantaged backgrounds face, put them behind when compared to their affluent peers.

Consequently, this educational inequality perpetuates the cycle of poverty and social inequality, keeping students from progressing. It’s crucial to address this issue and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to pursue their dreams and reach their full potential.

How disadvantage translates into lack of resources

For indigenous Australians, disadvantage is often more than just a word. It manifests in multiple ways, but perhaps the most visible is the lack of resources that many in these communities face.

Lack of Infrastructure

From inadequate access to healthcare and education, the infrastructure of an environment plays a major role in the student’s development. These issues in food, housing or medical care can severely dampen the student’s role in skill acquisition and development.

This is one of the first things that should be considered as it is the foundation that students have to start with and luckily the tide might be beginning to shift.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare recently introduced government reforms stating: “Our first goal is to create more regional university hubs and establish a similar model for the outer suburbs of our cities.”

The promising statement means that those from low-income outer suburbs will have better opportunities moving forward.

Inadequate learning support

The most obvious one is learning support within the school system. Students might have access to the right resources but the learning environment plays a big role in the ability to overcome these learning difficulties.

With the landscape of education varying so much, we notice that students might be struggling through larger class sizes without the ability to access programs to get them out of a rut.

Fewer work opportunities

Those in areas without good work opportunities will not only struggle when they want to graduate and find work, but the chances of them sticking to their education goals tend to diminish in these areas. This is why overall infrastructure needs to be considered when trying to improve the pathways and opportunities for students in the current environment.

Initiatives to improve access to education 

The issue of educational access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds has long been a cause for concern. The government does have some initiatives aimed at improving access to education for these students. Most of them focus on things such as financial aid, scholarships and subsidies as well as mentoring and tutoring to guide struggling students.

This issue is that they may not be as accessible as they might seem and not necessarily available to all students. Just throwing money at the problem isn’t always the solution to systemic or personal issues to change educational inequality.

Some deeper things should be done to look at why some students are falling behind and cannot find suitable pathways towards their career goals.

Improving educational pathways

The best way to start addressing educational inequality in Australia is by providing equal access and opportunity for all.

This not only means looking at funding, but improving the resources for the community as a whole.

Let’s look at some of the best ways we can help improve the educational pathways for students:

Improving financial access for tertiary education

Making tertiary education financially accessible will create more opportunities for career growth and personal development.

There are multiple ways to achieve this and it’s important to consider what is the most appropriate, from increasing scholarship funding, and online learning options, to collaborating with businesses to create internships and trainee programmes.

Career guidance for disadvantaged students

One of the largest problems facing youth is direction, with many young adults finishing secondary education without any clear direction of which way to go next. This can be just as bad as not having educational opportunities, to begin with, so career guidance could be one foot in the right direction for governments.

Extra tutoring services

Providing extra tutoring services can be one of the best ways to bridge the gap, while it can be financially demanding it might be worth it for governments to look into subsidised options for disadvantaged students. It doesn’t only improve academic performance but also confidence and encouragement play a massive role in success for these students.

Create a timeline for initiatives

As a side note, it’s vital to ensure that any initiatives related to education are properly implemented in order to achieve the desired results. This is done by solidifying timelines between governments, individuals and institutions as well as appropriately tracking progress. The advantage here is the ability to keep governments and policymakers accountable for their proposed plans.

Conclusion

The discrepancies between the educational opportunities for those in Australia provide a massive challenge that many aren’t really looking into, and this is an issue that can’t be changed overnight.

It requires a long-term commitment from both the government and society to ensure everyone has a level playing field.

Let’s hope ministers and policymakers can deliver on their promises and that Australia remains the land of opportunity for all, not just the advantaged.