Campus Review Vol 30. Issue 06 | Page 5

campusreview.com.au news Michaelia Cash. Photo: Lukas Coch/AAP ‘Drowning in red tape’ Peak body for independent sector calls for alignment. The two regulators of Australia’s tertiary education sector are being urged to limit bureaucratic red tape and align their regulatory standards. The call for closer alignment between the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and the Australian Skills Quality Authority was made by the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, the peak body for independent providers of VET and higher education. ITECA chief executive Troy Williams highlighted the difficultly and inefficiency with the current situation. “There are 61 independent providers that are dual sector, operating across both the higher education sector and the vocational education and training sector,” he said. “They are drowning in red tape as they deal with two different sets of regulatory standards enforced by TEQSA and ASQA. It’s time we act to relieve that burden in a way that preserves quality in the sector.” To address this issue, ITECA proposed a process of “regulatory convergence” where standards overseen by TEQSA and ASQA would be aligned where possible. While this approach acknowledges that the two sectors are vastly different in several ways, it also makes clear that convergence between the two regulators is possible – and preferable – in a number of areas. “This is all about improving outcomes for students. We want tertiary education providers focused on supporting students rather than filling in two sets of forms from two different regulators for the same purpose,” Williams said. “Regulators can preserve the integrity of the system and cut red tape at the same time.” ITECA believes the first step towards achieving a more “coherent education sector” is the alignment of the Higher Education Standards Framework 2015 (Cth) and the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 (Cth). “We have different regulatory standards, different student funding mechanisms, and different regulatory systems. “These hamper student outcomes and serve independent tertiary education providers very poorly,” Williams said. “It’s time for reform.” ITECA has written to both TEQSA and ASQA with formal requests to begin a scoping study into aligning the regulatory standards. The council has also raised the matter with the minister for education, Dan Tehan, and the minister for employment, skills, small and family business, Michaelia Cash. ■ Balancing the equation Experts warn gender imbalance in maths threatens pandemic recovery and future crisis response. The latest report from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) argues that gender inequity and imbalance will jeopardise the nation’s intellectual capability, compromising both post-coronavirus recovery and future responses to pandemics. The report, which coincided with the 2020 International Women in Mathematics Day (May 12), provides a snapshot of female participation in mathematics across Australia, covering school classrooms, higher education, research and the workforce. According to the AMSI paper, redressing this gender imbalance is critical to ensuring an appropriately skilled workforce is in place during the pandemic, and to help with the road to recovery. “The work of Australia’s epidemiologists is decisive in informing governmental response to the current crisis and guiding the nation’s recovery,” AMSI’s ChooseMATHS project director Janine Sprakel said. “Experts like Professor Jodie McVernon at the Doherty Institute and Professor Raina MacIntyre are applying cross-disciplinary approaches, including mathematical and computational models in synthesising insights from biological, epidemiological and sociological data,” she continued. “So many talented women are at the forefront of modelling ... enhancing understanding of infectious diseases and determining optimal interventions for pandemic control. “Restrictions will be eased [according to] mathematically based advice from these scientists.” The report’s author, Maaike Wienk, said the low participation rate of girls in Year 12 mathematics is of great concern, compromising Australia’s ability to develop a strong STEM workforce for Australia’s post‐pandemic recovery. To illustrate, in 2018 only 7.2 per cent of female Year 12 students took higher mathematics compared with 12.2 per cent of male students. “This risk is compounded by gender distribution between employment divisions and occupations,” Wienk said. “Women form the majority of the professional workforce within the healthcare and social assistance sectors, but the number of girls entering tertiary education in maths disciplines is far less than boys, accounting for an estimated 38 per cent of undergraduate mathematics students.” The percentage remains static despite the promotion of STEM subjects in schools, compromising the future of a well-trained STEM workforce. ■ 3