This paper explores the potential opportunities that OpenCourseWare (OCW) offers in providing wider access to tertiary education, based on the ideal of "the right to education." It first discusses the wider implications of OCW, and its underlying philosophy, before using a case study of a tertiary preparation program (TPP) at the…

Two sets of opinion exist regarding the control of schools. The first pertains to the freedom of parental choice in education and the right of individuals and associations to run private schools subject to minimal government controls. The second stresses the overriding need to promote greater equality of opportunity in the form of publicly…

This paper demonstrates how jointly planned activities can provide an integrated system in bridging the quality gap between urban and rural education in Australia. A national communications policy and delivery system would provide a cost-effective way of improving services to rural areas. Rural schools and colleges can be transformed by developing…

The taskforce charged with developing a national framework for rural education policy in Australia reports that such a policy should allow for local differences and provide flexibility in implementation by states and territories. Essential enablers of quality education in rural locations--personnel, relevant curriculum, information communication…

Remote and isolated locations in Australia provide the greatest challenges for improving provision of education options and pathways for children and families. These challenges are often compounded when considering the needs and aspirations of Indigenous communities, especially those that adhere to traditional cultures and lifestyles. In response…

Australian commonwealth, state, and territory ministers for education and training established a joint working party to develop a draft national policy on adult and community education (ACE) in Australia. Recognizing that the precise boundaries of ACE are best set by individual states and territories, the working party refrained from developing…

In February 1999, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission initiated the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education, which investigated the provision of education for children in rural and remote Australia. The inquiry took evidence at formal public hearings in every state and territory and at less formal meetings with…

An analysis of Australia's vocational education market reveals that the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) system is still the dominant provider of postcompulsory off-the-job vocational education and training in Australia. In the education and training (E&T) services market, TAFE is in competition with other public and private schools,…

These volumes contain 40 papers examining the principles, policies, structure, and practice of lifelong learning worldwide. The following are among the papers included: "Towards a Philosophy of Lifelong Learning" (David Aspin, Judith Chapman); "Locating Lifelong Learning and Education in Contemporary Currents of Thought and…