tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post1148892521106542096..comments2024-03-20T23:54:23.673-07:00Comments on The Great Raven: The Price Of (State) Secondary EducationSue Bursztynskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-9559830667966725222016-07-29T15:17:04.520-07:002016-07-29T15:17:04.520-07:00Thanks, Lexa. In the early 80s here, tertiary educ...Thanks, Lexa. In the early 80s here, tertiary education was free - a legacy of Gough Whitlam, a left-wing Prime Minister we had for a very short time, who was effectively stabbed in the back by his conservative opponent Malcolm Fraser(who, weirdly, ended up becoming the darling of the left when he started moving left in his old age and had a state funeral, mourned by all...). It didn't last long either. Another PM said, "Why should the poor be paying tax to subsidise the tertiary education of the rich?" Except they're already doing that for primary and secondary... Fees were brought back, although it works like this: you get a loan called HECS. Then, when you get a job, you pay back - not all of it, but if you've done something expensive like medicine you could be paying back almost for your working life. If you're from a wealthy family you can save money by paying up-front for university. So some occupations are the preserve of people who went to private schools and whose parents have money. Unless there's a scholarship of one kind or another(by the way, universities here don't do sports scholarships. If you're that good, there is the specialised Institute of Sport).<br /><br />But textbooks! Everyone needs them, fees or not. And this is high school. Imagine what the uni books will cost! <br /><br />Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27643523.post-49367267282022349662016-07-29T09:08:33.142-07:002016-07-29T09:08:33.142-07:00Wow, that sounds really tough. I had no problem go...Wow, that sounds really tough. I had no problem going to college - took out huge loans and spent years paying them back, but at a very low payment. It was simple. I guess the 80s were different to now. I hope your students get what they need, and kudos to you for helping!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07735576044552810103noreply@blogger.com