Educationreview

This week the NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell announced she wanted “an overhaul” of ATAR. Her decision was based on research showing the population has lost faith in it and it was causing students too much stress.AS 61,000 NSW students begin their HSC examinations, Mitchell said the way the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is calculated should be discussed, as well as extra issues related to the test. The NSW Teachers Federation, however, disagrees with the idea of an overhaul, arguing “meddling” with it could advantage wealthy students and compromise the Higher School Certificate, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.Although the “tool” for university entry has been in use for decades, educators and other stakeholders argue that it encourages students to select subjects that will lift their rank, rather than ones they are talented at or find interesting. Secretary of the NSW Department of Education Mark Scott has been a critic of ATAR, calling it a “strait jacket around our kids”.Listen to the podcast