Tell me about Australian High Schools! (1 Viewer)

[Cherrybomb56]

another interesting article including comparisons and experiences from Singapore!

In China, Nicholas studied maths 20 hours a week. In Australia, it's three

Australian students lag more than 3.5 years behind Chinese students in maths, with one student pointing to longer hours and a more cut-throat culture in China.

www.smh.com.au

wow seriously

 

[Cherrybomb56]

While the Australian education system definitely has its downsides, it also has its upsides. A lot of parents in Asia (especially from wealthier families and those with strong political ties) prefer to send their kids to western institutions so that they don't have to be subject to the rigid education regiment found in most Asian countries, as kids in the west generally receive a more well rounded education. There's articles about how a students from countries like China struggling to adapt to education in Australia, because in China they more or less learn more through rote memorisation and are taught to never question their teachers (though with China, this might be due to political reasons as well). I've heard similar stories in Korea and other Asian countries as well. Even Hong Kong, which has one of the most highly educated populations, suffers from this rote learning mentality. The suicide rates of students in Japan and Korea also paint a picture of how gruelling the education scene is there - the students just spend all day studying and don't have much time for anything else. In contrast, students in the west are taught to think outside the box, be creative, and question your teachers. I personally prefer the US education system, as it appears to spurn/foster the most amount of creativity, which is typically needed for technological innovation. In Australian, the education system is far from perfect, but I'd take it over studying in Asia any day of the week.

I heard that Australia is 3.5 years behind china?

 

[Cherrybomb56]

Firstly, in regards to what? Military? Sure - they're probably a century ahead of Australia. Standard of living and quality of life? Not a fat chance - give it another 50 years and we'll see.

I'm going to assume you're referring to technological difference between the two countries. Australia doesn't develop much technology - they buy it from other countries. That has more to do with government policy than anything else. The government here simply doesn't incentivize research - all they care about is coal. Australia also has the highest proportion of international students from China than any other country - so much so that they make up a significant portion of the population here now. In contrast, look at the number of students from the west who choose to study as international students in China (or any other Asian country for that matter). I'd guarantee you it'd only be a fraction.

There's a reason why so students from Asia flock to western universities and not vice versa. Many high ranking business and political elites from countries such as Russia, China, etc, all choose to send their students overseas to receive a western education. You don't really see it going the other way around.

Many Asian countries will score well ahead of the curve in areas like mathematics etc, beating out countries with many top academic institutions such as the US. However, a key thing to remember that is that western education isn't solely focused on book smarts. It also places significant emphasis on free thinking and creativity, which generally leads to a more well rounded education and an overall improved society.

EDIT: I realised the 3.5yrs refers to the previous article on how Australia is behind on math. This was addressed in the last paragraph.

Australian universities risk catastrophe due to over-reliance on Chinese students, expert warns

A new report reveals top-tier Australian universities are highly dependent on international students for revenue, with even a small decline in Chinese students threatening dire consequences.

www.abc.net.au

No even our teacher told us this. I meant education wise. Lol it's okay.