Bites for Wednesday 24 Jan 2007…

A furious federal Education Minister Julie Bishop accused Mr Rudd of “selectively misquoting” and “cynically manipulating” funding statistics.”He is peddling misinformation on Australian Government investment in higher education which in the past decade increased in real terms by 25 per cent,” Ms Bishop said.

Canberra Times: ALP school revolution a fizzer, says Bishop

In replacing the hapless Gary Hardgrave with rising star Andrew Robb in the vocational education gig, Mr Howard has given a nod to the future.

The West Australian: Balancing act brings in a ‘rodent’ caller.

HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING: JULIE BISHOP and ANDREW ROBB v STEPHEN SMITH and KIM CARR. Education and skills have already moved to centre stage, and the Government is banking on its new technical colleges to give it a lift. Andrew Robb replacing Gary Hardgrave give the Coalition a chance to put a new face on a story that has dragged on as administrative hurdles have slowed the establishment of the colleges. More to come in this area…

The Australian: Key match-ups.

“I don’t think we need a revolution in education.” Mr Howard said in Canberra. “I tell you what we need in education more than anything else: basic standards. “We need basic standards of literacy, of numeracy, a proper and rigorous understanding according to an appropriate narrative sense of the history of this country. the history influences that have made and conditioned this country.”

The Hobart Mercury: Battleground on schools: PM dismisses Labour’s education ‘revolution’.

The Dusseldorp Skills Forum say that nearly 30 per cent of school leavers are neither fully engaged in learning or work. Australia can do better.

We are all aware of the crippling skills shortages in vital trades.

The Reserve Bank’s warnings about skills shortages have fallen on deaf ears.

They know that the long term under-investment in vocational education and training needs to be turned around or the economy will continue to bump up against supply side constraints.

Already we have seen the impact of this through major infrastructure project delays, increased costs, rising inflation and interest rates.

It is beyond belief that funding for post-secondary education is lower in real terms than it was in Labor’s last year in office in 1996. Australia can do better.

The Canberra Times: The Rudd plan to revive education.

technorati tags:election2007, kevin.rudd, ALP, education.policy, education.reform, education.revolution

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