EDUC1038 Foundations of Secondary Education

Introduction

Education is one of the most critical and sensitive sectors in Australia. The commonwealth and territorial governments always take education seriously because it plays a significant role in the prosperity of the economy by imparting knowledge to the people. The knowledge from education is used for positively-transforming the lives of the people and making them intelligent enough to make wise health, entrepreneurial, economic, social, and political decisions. That is why in order to manage education matters in the country, the commonwealth government has been relying on the Education Act (Federal government Industrial Act, n.d.).

Educational Act is the legal framework that governs the education of students. On behalf of the ministry of education, the department of education is responsible for administering several acts including the Education Act and the Education Regulations. This report provides a review of the education act and the education department’s strategic and Operational plan relevant to the Australian state specifically the Northern Territory (NT) (Australia, 2013). Education matters in Australia are devolved because each state government has powers granted by the constitution to oversee education matters within its respective area of jurisdiction. For the states to manage education, they have legislations which all the stakeholders have to abide by. Since this paper narrows down to the NT, it mainly focuses on how it manages its education sector (Northern Territory Education Act, n.d.). The state educational laws are important because they streamline how the teachers and other stakeholders should teach the learners. Everyone has to adhere to all the standards because they are put in place to ensure that the education sector runs smoothly at all times.

NT Education Act

Just like any other state within the Australia, NT has got the laws and regulations which govern education sector. The most outstanding law that is currently used in the NT State is the NT Education Act. This is a legislation that has been in use in the state since its enactment. The NT legislature, in consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, decided to enact this law because it was aimed at providing a standard guideline to the Australian educators (Northern Territory Education Act, n.d.). Since its enactment, the act has been playing a crucial role in the provision of quality education services to the leaners in the state.

The act aligns with the provisions of the Commonwealth Education Act that acknowledges that al the Australians should have access to high quality education. Leaners’ accessibility to quality education should not be limited by their geographical location, place of residence, or state in which they live (Australia, 2013). The also emphasizes that the schools should strive to offer exceptionally high quality education services that can ensure that the learners are adequately prepared and given the right education that can empower them in life (Australia, 2013). According to the act, the education given should be diverse enough to offer learners with holistic knowledge that covers different areas including culture, religion, and ethical values. The teaching in all schools should focus on key areas including mathematics, science, and reading.

The NT Education Act addresses a wide range of issues in the education sector including the registration of schools, administration of the learning institutions, enrolment and participation in schools, the management of school register, the management of home schooling program, teaching of the learners with special needs, teaching of the mature age learners, parental and community involvement in the educational activities, curriculum management, and the involvement of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other interested stakeholders in the management of education matters across the state (Dowling & O’Malley, 2009). The act provides a clear guideline and directive on how each of these activities should be conducted. The NT State government acknowledges that education is a broad sector that involves a large number of stakeholders whose primary focus is to teach the learners and equip them with right knowledge that can prepare them to be useful citizens. Therefore, for the service-delivery process to be a success, each of the stakeholders must have well-defined roles, be aware about it, and deliver it in the most diligent way possible.

The act gives the education stakeholders a proper a roadmap on how to manage the teaching and learning processes so as to ensure that the learners benefit in the best ways possible (Marginson, 1993). The law is clear on the standards that the government requires all the schools so as to be dully registered and licensed to offer educational services to the learners. The act also gives an allowance for the management of a flexible education system that gives room for the school and home-based education systems (Northern Territory Education Regulations, n.d.). However, for each of these settings to be authorized to operate, they must meet the prerequisite conditions such as the number and competence of instructors and the required learning facilities that suit each category of learners (Gerrard, Savage & O'Connor, 2017). The act also requires that the teachers should meet the required qualifications that they need for them to engage in the teaching of learners (Northern Territory Teacher Registration Act, n.d.). All the teachers must be registered so as to get the licenses that they need to teach the learners. Registration is an issue that must be tae seriously because it enables the schools to have the right workforce on which it can rely to teach the normal learners, learners with special needs, and the mature learners each of whom requires a different level of attention.

The act is specific on the management of the learning institutions. It wants all the schools to comply with the right standards of management. All the schools should have a clear structure on how the management system is organized (Northern Territory Criminal Code Act, n.d.). This is quite good because it ensures that the schools are managed well and in a manner that supports the teaching and learning process. The schools should collaborate with all the stakeholders that are, in one way or the other, involves in the management of the education process (Goss & Sonnemann, 2017). Such stakeholders who are authorized to take part in the management of the schools in the states are the parents, community, and other interest groups (Northern Territory Teacher Registration Act, n.d.). These stakeholders are mandated to join the school representative councils, parent consultation committees, and other school representative bodies. Such partnerships are useful because they enable the schools to manage their affairs well without having any antagonism in the community.   

The NT Department of Education Strategic Plan

The NT Department of Education is always focused and determined. The department has been managing education matters in a good way. That is why today, the state education standards are exceptional. These are plans that the department has for the future (Gurr, 2020). Currently, the department has been using the 2018-2022-Strategic Framework. As the name suggests, the strategic plan provides a roadmap for the accomplishments that the department plans to accomplish between the 2018 and 2022.

The strategic plan has outlined five main objectives to achieve by 2022. First, the department strives to streamline school leadership. According to the plan, the department wants all the learning institutions to have a right leadership. All schools to have competent leaders who can manage them well so as to guarantee high performance and quality service-delivery (Jackson & Allan, 2010). Secondly, the department has plans for quality teaching. The department is concerned about the level of services that all the schools provide. It wants all the schools to ensure that they offer high standard services to all the learners (Northern Territory Education Regulations, n.d.). Quality teaching is an issue that the department takes seriously because it helps in ensuring that the learners are adequately-prepared and given the right knowledge that they deserve. Thirdly, the department has plans to ensure that the curriculum is properly-implemented. Curriculum implementation matters as it ensures that the educational objectives are achieved (Mayer, Cotton & Simpson, 2017). Fourthly, the department has plans to enhance community engagement. All schools must ensure that they establish a strong collaboration with the local community members in the respective places in which they are located. Lastly, the department has plans to improve performance by focusing on accountability and data management (Northern Territory Teacher Registration Act, n.d.). This plan is incorporated in the strategic plan because it is aimed at improving the quality of performance.

How the Objects are being achieved and implemented in Schools within the State

The strategic plan is applicable to all the schools within the state. Meaning, all the schools have no choice, but to abide by the plan because it is for the common good of the Australian society. The schools have been adhering to and implementing the strategic plan by taking a number of steps that include:

Quality Learning: All the schools within the NT have been offering high quality services to the learners. All teachers have been trying to implement he curriculum well buy offering learners the right content that is appropriate for them (Sawyer, Reece, Sawyer, Johnson & Lawrence, 2018).

Transparency and Accountability: All schools have been engaging in accountability. The schools manage all the data with utmost integrity (Polesel, Leahy & Gillis, 2018). Meaning, they ensure that all the resources are utilized without engaging in acts of embezzlement or corruption.

Community Involvement in School Leadership: All schools no longer operate in isolation from the community. Meaning, all schools have been involving the community members in the management of their affairs. This has created an effective school-community cohesion (Sawyer, Reece, Sawyer, Johnson & Lawrence, 2018).

Conclusion

The message in this report is simple, all students deserve to get a quality education and it does not matter where they come from or what status their parents hold in society. As demonstrated in this report, the Ministry of Education is intended to provide the best possible sources for education not just in the NT, but also in all states of Australia. The Education Ministry cannot do this by itself and it's committed to building a relationship with the partners and stakeholders like the Commonwealth, in the Australian government. The plans and strategies put forward to achieve the operations stated in the Educational Act provide the public with detailed information regarding the plan. Strategic planning in the Education department is an effective way of identifying and ensuring growth in the Education sector. To efficiently achieve the objectives, education departments must not only formulate but also implement the strategies. Based on this report, a strategic and operational plan in the education department is crucial for obtaining higher levels of success in the education system.

Teacher Registration Acts and Regulations

In Australia, all the teachers are required to adhere to the applicable rules and regulations that govern the teaching profession. There are laws which govern how the teachers should behave and conduct all their activities at all times. The rules are put in place to ensure that the teachers behave in a way that can be safe for the children who are the future generations and leaders of the nation.

One of the rules that the teachers should follow is that they should be registered by the respective state Board of Teacher Registration. For a teacher to be authorized to teach in any school across the nation, the teacher must be duly registered. Registration is a prerequisite condition that all the teachers must, therefore, adhere to (Datta Roy & Lavery, 2017). To qualify for a registration, a teacher should meet the threshold set for academic and professional competencies. Meaning, a teacher must have gone through college and successfully-completed the training course. The training is necessary because it equips the teacher with the right skills and competencies to use in handling the learners (Lloyd & Davis, 2018). An ideal teacher is, therefore, determined by considering the training, qualifications, and competencies in delivering the right content to the learners. All teachers should have a sound knowledge of the curriculum that is taught to the learners.

The Board of Teacher Registration is keen on the registration of teachers because it wants the country to be served by a team of teachers who are guided by the principles of professionalism and ethical compliance. A professional teacher should engage in acts which are acceptable by the teaching profession (Weldon, 2018). At the same time, the teacher should display a high-degree of acceptable ethical values like honesty, integrity, loyalty, hard work, determination, humility, and friendliness. The other reason why the teachers must be registered is to make them behave responsibly while discharging their duties. Responsible teachers do not deviate from the norms and deviate from the defiant acts like absenteeism, lateness, sexual abuse, harassment, and any other misconducts that can compromise the stability and any other unacceptable behaviors (Nuttall, 2018). Last, but not least, registration enables the ministry to manage the teachers well. It helps in ensuring that the teachers who are in the register get the right support that they might need at any given time so as to enable them discharge their duties well. That is why all the teachers must be registered.    

However, there are instances in which many teachers have been struck-off the teachers’ register. Many teachers have filed to renew their registration because the ministry denies them an opportunity to do so (Mockler, 2018). That happens in case the teachers engage in the violation of the applicable regulations by failing to meet the conditions pertaining to Professional Experience and Currency of Practice, Professional Development, Fit and Proper person, professional engagement and professional learning requirements (Mayer & Mills, 2021). This means that the board refuses to renew the registration of the individual teachers who fail to meet the conditions set for the renewable of registration. In this regard, for a teacher to renew the registration, they have no choice, but to impress the board by meeting the prerequisite conditions.  

Criminal Code of States and Territories

The Two Incidents

There are many instances in which the Australian teachers have been involved in the cases of misconduct. This paper gives a report on two incidents that have occurred in the country. The first scenario involves a sexually abuse child by her teacher in Adelaide and was jailed for 10 years. The teacher is called Marco Chiro, a 56-year-old teacher, and he was teaching at the Norwood Morialta High School. The teacher was prosecuted before a court of law and charged with having a carnal knowledge of the school-going children. The court heard that the teacher had a tendency of luring school girls to have a sexual intercourse with them.

Mr. Chiro’s case was heard and determined at the District Magistrate’s Court presided by Judge Geraldine Davinson. When he got an opportunity to appear in court, the accused person defended himself by denying the charges. All his claims were rejected by the judge who was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that he had, indeed, committed the offence. At the end of it all, the teacher was found guilty and given a 10-year-jail term. According to the evidence given before the court, Mr. Chiro started by kissing the student before eventually escalating into oral sex, something that he did repeatedly. The judge gave that rulling because the accused person had not shown any remorse (Clinton & Dawson, 2018). Mr. Chiro was a seasoned teacher who had been teaching Environment, Society, Japanese, English and Italian since the year 1982.

The second scenario involved the trial and conviction of Mr. Gavin Duncan who was a former teacher. Mr. Gavin was also accused of engaging in sexual intercourse with the school girl. The girl in question was a minor because she was still under the age of 18 years. Duncan was a 33-year-old teacher who had been teaching in Blue Mountain High School.

The court heard that the accused person had engaged in a sexual intercourse with a student. The offence, according to the court records, had occurred between June and July 2018. The student in question was a 17-year-old mentee who was being mentored by the accused person. However, instead of mentoring the student well, the accused person took advantage of the situation (opportunity) to sexually-exploit the minor. The accused person met the student several times and engaged in a discussion that touched on academic and non-academic issues like romantic relations between the two. The mentorship program began in 2016 and continued until the student graduated in 2018. However, after hearing the plea from the defendant and the complainant, the Penrith District Court under the Judge Sharon Harris who was hearing the case, decided to convict the accused person and gave him a 15-month jail term. This was reached because the teacher had engaged in behaviors that were not only unethical and unprofessional, but also illegal. So, he had to be punished for his offences.

Strategic initiatives that the school may enact as way to avoid re-occurrence.

The two teachers were jailed because they had violated the Northern Territory’s Criminal Code Section 126-140 which prohibits the acts of child abuse and sexual exploitation of the minors (Mayer, Cotton & Simpson, 2017). All these happened because of the inefficiency of the schools in the enforcement of these laws. To prevent the recurrence of such behaviors, in the future, the schools should ban the use of mobile phones in school by school children (Barnes & Cross, 2021). Children should not be allowed to privately visit their male teachers or mentors at their homes. Again, dressing in schools should be checked to avoid scenarios where a teacher tells a student to wear skirt to school the following day (Thomas & Banki, 2020). Mentorship of one student-one teacher should also be discouraged to avoid re-occurrence of such cases.   

Relevant Industrial Acts of States and Territories

In Australia, school canteens are required to adhere to the guidelines which dictate the kinds of foods to sell and not to sell to the learners (Ling, 2017). Food has become an issue of concern because it touches on the health of the learners. According to the guidelines, green foods are the best choice. They should always be readily available in schools, displayed in prominent areas and actively promoted and encouraged. Green foods and drinks forms the basis of a healthy diet. Green foods and drinks offers a wide range of nutrients and generally are low in saturated fats, sugar and salt. Meanwhile, the amber foods and drinks should be selected carefully they should not dominate the foods and drinks choices displayed and promoted (Nghiem, Hoang, Vu, & Wilson, 2018). Amber foods and drinks contribute some valuable nutrients but contain some moderate amount of saturated fats, sugar and salt and may be low in fiber. Amber foods may contribute to excess intake of energy if consumed in large quantities.    

However, there are many foods which should not be sold to the learners at the school canteen. These food products include the nuts, cigarettes, alcohol, beverages, and many others. Red foods and drinks should not be provided or sold in schools Red foods and drinks are low in nutrition value and fiber and may be high in saturated fats, sugar and salts (Marks, Barnett & Allender, 2019). Red foods and drinks may also provide excess energy.

Describes the three incidents where non-compliance has occurred and its impact

There are many instances when the school canteens have been violating the guidelines. That happens because there are canteens which stock and sell the food items that they are not authorized to deal in and expose the school-going children to. The first incident is where alcoholic drinks are displayed and sold in school canteens. When such drinks are consumed in schools. This reduces children’s participation in school there for the green light system should be adopted (Nghiem, Hoang, Vu, & Wilson, 2018). The second instance is where foods and drinks like birthday cakes and flavored drinks were sold and displayed in the school canteens. Birthday cakes and flavored drinks which are low in nutrition and contain high saturated fats, sugar and salt which provide excess energy. These foods and drinks brings health complications like allergy (Mak, 2018). Cigarettes were also displayed and sold in school canteens. These foods and drinks are low in nutrition and may lead to cancer.    

Alcoholic drinks sold and displayed in school canteens. Proper monitoring of foods and drinks sold in the school canteens by the principles to avoid re-occurrence in future (Decataldo & Fiore, 2018). Foods and drinks vending machines should not be permitted in school canteens. School canteens should be subject to an annual menu review by an external agency to assess the food and drinks provided and for sale (Oncini, 2018). Cigarettes has low nutritional value hence should be discouraged from school canteens. Foods and drinks from home should not be accepted in schools canteens to avoid re-occurrence in future. No school should sell these food products because they are not safe for consumption by the kids (Chortatos, Terragni, Henjum, Gjertsen, Torheim & Gebremariam, 2018). They can cause allergies, diseases, and affect the cognitive and social growth and development of the learners.

References

Australia, U. (2013). A smarter Australia: An agenda for Australian higher education 2013-2016.

Dowling, A., & O’Malley, K. (2009). Preschool education in Australia.

Barnes, M., & Cross, R. (2021). ‘Quality’at a cost: the politics of teacher education policy in Australia. Critical Studies in Education, 1-16.

Chortatos, A., Terragni, L., Henjum, S., Gjertsen, M., Torheim, L. E., & Gebremariam, M. K. (2018). Consumption habits of school canteen and non-canteen users among Norwegian young adolescents: a mixed method analysis. BMC pediatrics, 18(1), 1-12.

Clinton, J., & Dawson, G. (2018). Enfranchising the profession through evaluation: a story from Australia. Teachers and Teaching, 24(3), 312-327.

Collier-Harris, C. A., & Goldman, J. D. (2017). Could Australia have its own teacher professional standards for teaching relationships and sexuality education?. Sex Education, 17(5), 512-528.

Datta Roy, S., & Lavery, S. (2017). Experiences of overseas trained teachers seeking public school positions in Western Australia and South Australia. Issues in Educational Research, 27(4), 720-735.

Decataldo, A., & Fiore, B. (2018). Is eating in the school canteen better to fight overweight? A sociological observational study on nutrition in Italian children. Children and Youth Services Review, 94, 246-256.

Federal government Industrial Act

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004A03679

Gerrard, J., Savage, G. C., & O'Connor, K. (2017). Searching for the public: School funding and shifting meanings of 'the public in Australian education. Journal of Education Policy, 32(4), 503-519.

Goss, P., & Sonnemann, J. (2017). Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017.

Gurr, D. (2020). Australia: The Australian Education System. In Educational Authorities and the Schools (pp. 311-331). Springer, Cham.

Jackson, G., & Allan, S. (2010). Fundamental Elements in a Child's Right to Education: A Study of Home Education Research and Regulation in Australia. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2(3), 350.

Ling, L. M. (2017). Australian teacher education: inside-out, outside-in, backwards and forwards?. European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(5), 561-571.

Lloyd, M., & Davis, J. P. (2018). Beyond performativity: a pragmatic model of teacher professional learning. Professional development in education, 44(1), 92-106.

Mak, H. C. A. (2018, April). Does School Starting Age Matter? The Impact ofSchool on Childhood Obesity, Diet and Time Use in Australia. In PAA 2018 Annual Meeting. PAA.

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