JAMFC

Some country comparisons:

http://www.theguardian.com/news/data...e-reading#data

ozzieeagle

Not sure why these figures are so different to what is supposed to be the gist of the thread. However as Australia is competing with Asia directly, it's the Asian countries that Australia needs to primarily compare with.

Ergo, we need more Chinese and SE Asian migrants to help boost the standards, increase competition and utilise as peer leaders.

Personally I'm fairly happy with the secondary schooling system. My 15 YO son is finally switching on to the idea of education and I'm very happy with the patience Fitzroy High has shown in dealing with him.... He might even make Uni after all. Looks like 2/4 of my kids will end up at Uni.

So why the wildly different figures I wonder ?

Beoz

I've only ever needed it in Spain to order a beer and some tapas

Amazulu

Most children I know are learning Mandarin, Japanese or Indonesian

scottishcelts

Mines are Chinese and Japanese, and they all hate it. They'd much rather learn a European language.

GarryP

As I understand it there are a few characteristics that go towards explaining it.

First, the test is basically a measure of the total score of the country at 15 years old. A bimodal distribution isn't going to show up as well in such a score (which seems to be what Australia has).

Second, the test has to scale across a wide range - reaching well down into what would be considered 'totally illiterate' in our scales. Australia might have too many functionally illiterate, but few totally illiterate.

Third, even this test shows the Australia score as getting worse, rather than getting better.

The score of China was obviously better than that of Australia, and rising.

The only way to get more of a clue would be to pull their results data apart.

BadgeIsBack

What about using it professionally, interpreters; working with European Institutions etc..

my kids are bI-lingual: we've submerged them in the language and culture...the little bastards interpret for their old man...

goingau

in my brothers daugthers school they are already using ipads (paid for by the parents) in class and for homework and thats a public school in QLD.

ozzieeagle

Most kids use either Computers or Tablets here for homework. I would have thought that the norm around the world now ?

GarryP

Don't get me started on that.

Auxiliary addenda toys, reproducing old paradigms, whilst giving PR puff and vendor lock-in.

Beoz

What good is that? They should be using real tablets with real business uses.

jad n rich

Its also the worlds 4th most commonly spoken language.

goingau

an apple ipad not a real tablet.... (i'm not an apple fan).

what business uses do you you refer to.