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Julia Gillard . Picture : Matt Loxton / NewsCorp Australia .
‘ Learn and thrive ’
Call for universal preschool for three-year-olds in SA .
By Laura Mazzitelli
Children as young as three could be attending preschool in South Australia following the recommendations of a Royal Commission report .
A Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care led by former prime minister Julia Gillard was launched last year .
Ms Gillard said she believed the report should be of interest to all South Australians even if they do not have , or want , any young children themselves . “ We have a moral obligation to make sure every child has the best opportunity to grow and learn and thrive ,” Gillard said .
One of the 33 recommendations was 15-hours of weekly preschool access for three-year-old children by 2026 .
The approach could cost the state around $ 162.7m each year , with about $ 111.2m needed to build the equivalent of 32 new early childhood education and care services .
Emeritus Professor at University of SA Marjory Ebbeck said she believes “ continuity of care is essential ” and recommendations put forward by the report need to be carefully addressed .
“ I ’ m very pleased that three year olds will be developmentally assessed ,” Professor Ebbeck told Education Review .
“ This is a big improvement as the earlier this assessment occurs , the better the chances are for getting specialist care .”
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the state ’ s early childhood education reforms have “ the power to change young people ’ s lives .”
“ We need every last young kid to be able to fulfil their potential if we are going to realise our economic ambitions and opportunities over the course of the next 20 to 30 years ,” he said .
Children and families in SA currently have access to early childhood education and care settings , but choice in some parts of SA is more limited when compared to other states , according to the report .
“ We need to increase the number of teachers who are trained to work with children who have additional needs ,” Professor Ebbeck said .
“ Parents in rural and remote areas need services , particularly for children who are at risk .”
The state government is due to respond to the Royal Commission in May .
A final report is due to be released in August . ■
‘ Scandalously low ’
Students who skip ATAR more likely to drop out of university .
By Eleanor Campbell
Students who gain university entry on a non-ATAR basis are twice as likely to drop out in their first year compared to other school leavers , new research shows .
A recent report from the Centre for Independent Studies ( CIS ) argued the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank ( ATAR ) remains the most dominant university pathway for Year 12 students .
The analysis , published Feburary , found nearly 30 per cent of school leavers admitted to university through non-ATAR pathways quit their degrees .
“ When so many school leavers are wasting time and money on incomplete degrees , at least some accountability belongs with universities and their admission standards ,” the CIS report said . “ It goes without saying that none of these underlying issues would even have been identified if not for ATAR .
“ Clearly , ATAR ’ s relevance is not just substantial , but growing .”
The number of students entering university without their ATAR rose from 15 per cent in 2016 to at least 25 per cent last year .
Meanwhile , it ’ s estimated nearly threein-four school-leavers use the ranking to begin tertiary study .
Students with an ATAR below 60 were three times more likely to drop out compared to students with an ATAR of 80 or higher .
Among students with an ATAR above 95 , only 4 per cent dropped out of their degrees .
Report author and data analyst Rob Joseph argued university entrance scores remain the strongest predictor of performance at university .
“ Given the scandalously low completion rates and high attrition for non-ATAR based admissions , universities should be increasing their use of ATAR , not reducing it ,” Joseph said .
Joseph ’ s analysis of federal education data concluded that universities should intervene earlier to identify school leavers at high risk of attrition .
“ Ultimately , if universities continue increasing admissions of students at high risk of attrition , then this must be balanced by increasing efforts to either avert attrition or else accelerate it before financial debt is incurred ,” he said . ■
6 | educationreview . com . au