Australian schools to run ‘Northern hemisphere’ VCE timetable to attract foreign students

Year 12 student Kimberley Jurcan 18, during the English exam at Bentleigh Secondary College. Picture: David Caird

 

SCHOOLS will be able to offer the VCE according to a US-style academic calendar in a major shake-up. 

The new option, touted as an Australian-first, would see school timetables run from September to June.

To start next year, both local and overseas schools can adopt it.

It comes as more than 46,000 VCE students today begin their exams.

Hard at work: a student tackles the English exam at Bentleigh Secondary College. Picture: David Caird

 

Education Minister Martin Dixon sad the new “northern hemisphere” VCE option was expected to increase the number of overseas students studying the certificate overseas in particular.

About 680 are already enrolled across 15 schools, most in China.

“This is something that overseas students will be very, very attracted to and even more countries now will take it on,’’ he said.

Kimberley Jurcan 18, uses a dictionary. Picture: David Caird.

 

“There is interest around the world for the VCE — it’s well renowned as a very, very strong qualification in its own right — but it also helps with entry into Victorian and Australian universities.

“It also means that students may be able to move from hemisphere to hemisphere without any interruption in those very important senior years.”

The new timetable — which would run parallel to the existing VCE schedule in Victorian schools which take it up — will initially be offered with 12 subjects including English, English as an Additional Language, maths, physics, Chinese and Arabic.

Examinations would be first held in June 2017.

The announcement came as thousands of students this morning sat exams in English and English as an Additional Language, signalling the start of a three-week test fest.

Students at Bentleigh Secondary College took the three-hour ordeal in their stride, most saying the exam was what they expected.

The language analysis component of this year’s English exam asked students to analyse a piece about space exploration.

They also wrote two essays on their selected texts.

Student Lachlan O’Brien, who hopes to study nursing and paramedicine next year, said: “I am feeling really confident about it — the questions were pretty much perfect for what I’ve been studying. I’m really happy.”

Michelle Kulik, who will sit her next exam tomorrow, said she was also feeling confident.

“It really does show preparation does pay off in the end,’’ she said.

But there were still a few nerves.

“I was nervous since last night so I could barely eat,’’ Michelle said.

“When I got into the exam my hand was shaking when I started to write down the first couple of words but then after 20 minutes I was like: “I just need to get this down on paper”.

“I’m proud with what I’ve done and I’m also really excited it’s over with — I never have to worry about another English examination again and I’m all good with that.”

Principal Karen Wade she was always a little nervous for her students.

“They have all put in the hard work and they will do extremely well,’’ she said.

heraldsun.com.au 29 Oct 2014

Dear Mr. Government - THIS IS 'STRAYA MATE! NOT EUROPE, UK or USA

The inconveniencing of 46,000 students for a few hundred (temporary) foreign students.

Why does not America change its whole curriculum for Aussie students abroad???

Still not convince the corporation conglomerate (the government) is not a corporate whore?

The Australian government is not in governance for the people.