The Australian Education System: A Look at Educational Inequalities

Abstract

This article presents results of research carried out in the context of a post-doctoral internship that took place in 2019, which had as main objectives: 1) to analyze the Australian teaching model, from the recent reform implemented, considering the social and political context of the country; 2) to know the working mechanisms and structures that support this system. From the evidence consolidated in different academic studies and the examination of institutional documents, the research data allowed, among other aspects, to identify important marks that serve as a reference for understanding the education system in Australia. This text, specifically, seeks to identify how the inequalities within the Australian education system are presented. Also noteworthy is the financing model that paved the way for the privatizing logic of the Australian education system. Based on the analyzed data, it is evident that differences in performance in large-scale assessments continue to be a challenge to be overcome by educational policies. In this scenario, it seems evident that current Australian educational policies, including the current curriculum reform - strongly influenced by neoliberal political ideas - are not managing to face and reduce the persistent educational inequalities that characterize the country's education system. The interest in the Australian system is justified, among other aspects, by how it has been incorporated by business organizations directly involved in the formulation and implementation of Brazilian educational policies, as a successful model to be followed.