Equity and excellence to merge
by Katrina Kalleske
Australians from low socio-economic backgrounds are three times less likely to go to university than their more fortunate counterparts. The new National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education at UniSA was established to try to improve that statistic.
The Centre will facilitate the study of student equity policy and practice in Australian higher education and related fields, leading to the development of new knowledge in these areas.
"The quest for equity goes to the heart of the University’s core value of social justice and its mission to build social cohesion through equitable educational outcomes across a very varied student body," said the Vice Chancellor, Professor Peter Høj at the Centre’s official opening in February.
"Our rural student enrolments are among the highest of any metropolitan university in Australia; we have the highest number of students with a disability; and 25 per cent of our students come from a low socio-economic background.
"We are privileged to be able to host this research facility that is so closely aligned with our educational mission, and to contribute so meaningfully to the social justice agenda."
Under the direction of founding director Professor Trevor Gale, the Centre is developing an online open-access repository of equity research, policy and practice, as well as a web-based equity exchange to facilitate networks and information-sharing among researchers, policy makers and practitioners in the field.
"Despite government policy championing education equity, there has been embarrassingly little change in the participation rates of equity groups, particularly indigenous students, rural and regional students, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds," he said.
"There is a potential new era looming in equity policy and practice, in part thanks to the National Review of Higher Education.
"We’re already midway through a national project researching how university engagement with schools, particularly in low income communities, can increase students’ participation in higher education," he said.
Former UniSA Vice Chancellor and head of the National Review of Higher Education, Professor Denise Bradley AC, opened the Centre and believes that more needs to be done to ensure wider participation in Australian tertiary education.
"The gap between rich and poor is more evident in Australian than other OECD countries," she said.
"Despite numerous attempts at State and Federal level, we have not succeeded in fashioning an education system which combats those failures of social and economic policy which have led to some children apparently being condemned to failure well before they begin formal education.
"The conviction in Australia that the TER score is "all", the final statement on practically everything, but certainly on readiness to succeed in higher education, is deeply anchored despite what we see if we look at patterns of achievement once students get to university.
"There is little difference in pass rates of these students compared with their more privileged peers."
Professor Bradley referred to an Australian Research Council study that showed that a student’s regional or socio-economic background had little influence on their likelihood of completing university, and that once these students entered university their background did not negatively affect their chances of completing the course.
Prof Bradley said the challenge for government and educators was to find ways of addressing deeply entrenched disadvantage, which is not countered by current education arrangements.
"To change patterns of tertiary participation, we require action at every level and such action must be informed by the findings of research which is directed to identifying answers in partnership with those who are working in the field.
"That is why this Centre is so important for the future – not only for individuals in those areas of Australia where long-term cumulative disadvantage blights the life of generation after generation, but also for the future of Australia’s reputation as a place which gives all of its citizens an equal chance to succeed."