There's a lot more to a school's success than tertiary entrance rates

Victoria’s government schools are as diverse as the communities they serve. So too are the range of success stories, aspirations and needs of its half a million plus students.

Information collected as part of the On Track survey and published in Melbourne newspapers highlights that diversity.

The Victorian school system should and does mean different things for different students, and government schools must cater to that. Gaining an apprenticeship is as equally worthwhile as winning university entrance. Finding a job is the ideal outcome for some students, while for others it is further study at TAFE.

University is the right destination for many students and certainly is something to strive for but it is equally true to say it is not the only aspiration held by many of our young people.

Let’s not pretend that university is the only possible - or preferable - ambition for all of our next generation. No number of highly trained medicos, scientists or engineers are able to build the houses we need, to fix our wiring, build our roads, distribute our goods or staff our businesses.

It would be ridiculous to suggest university entrance should be the only pathway that schools should prepare our students for and the only indicator they should be measured by. 

Some schools aggressively market themselves on their ability to prepare students for university.

But when assessing a school's capacity, it is too simplistic and quite misleading to adopt only that single narrow measure of university entrance. School success in providing for a variety of outcomes should provide comfort to parents that no matter what their child’s interests they will be appropriately and expertly catered for and not abandoned if they do not fit the university mould.

That’s why the Bracks government introduced the On Track survey.

The new data gives additional information to students and parents and broadens the definitions of the success of our schools.

The information collected shows that the education system is generally preparing students very well for life after they leave school.

The results show that almost three in every four surveyed school students are  continuing their education, in training or an apprenticeship after Year 12. That is a fantastic result.

Government-school students are employed at more than three times the rate of some other sectors. They also take up apprenticeships and traineeships at more than three times the rate.

These are equally as valid measures of comparison between differing school sectors that also reflects the hard work, dedication and passion of students and their teachers. These are measures that don’t make it to the headlines.

It is easy to forget that behind the lines of information published about schools are the individual stories of thousands of school students, their dreams challenges and successes.

A student at risk of dropping out of the system in Year Nine, who is encouraged to stay on and continue their education until Year 12 and then a full-time job is just as much a success story for the school system as the student who gains top marks in the VCE. And if our schooling system is to provide the best possible opportunity for every student in its charge then publicising and celebrating all forms of success is critical for governments, schools and the public alike. 

There is a lot about our public education system to be proud of. Retention rates continue to increase to the point where Victoria has the highest success rate of any Australian state or territory.

Employing more teachers has lowered class sizes to a 30-year low in primary schools and a ten-year low in the secondary system. Literacy and numeracy skills are improving in the vital early years of education. Almost a billion dollars has been invested in new schools and updated buildings.

In Victoria, the large majority of people continues to be educated in our government schools.

The commitment and effort we put into education is one of the most fundamental and important investments towards securing the future wellbeing of Victoria. It underpins the development of a highly skilled, innovative workforce as a critical enabling factor for social, cultural and economic growth.

And it is a key to personal development and to a wide array of life opportunities. A good education system opens doors to opportunity and makes a difference for all students.

We must celebrate all of those success stories, not just those nominated by the narrowest of possible definitions.