The education system in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

comprises the education of children from their early years, through kindergarten, primary and high school, and

tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

education in universities and

vocational education and training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesman, tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education give ...

organisations. The system is delivered by the government-run

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

schooling system, and numerous

independent schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

and colleges, most of which are controlled or sponsored by religious organisations.

Public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

in Tasmania is managed primarily by the Tasmanian Department of Education. The Department is responsible for all aspects of education in Tasmania including schooling, adult education, the

State Library A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...

and

TasTAFE TasTAFE is a Tasmanian tertiary education body of the Australian state-based Technical and Further Education system run by the Tasmanian State Government. The main campuses are located at Hobart, Warrane, Claremont, Glenorchy, Launceston, Alan ...

, a vocational tertiary institution with many campuses around the state.

Education in Australia Education in Australia encompasses the sectors of early childhood education (preschool) and primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (high schools), and finally tertiary education, which includes higher education (Uni ...

details a national overview of the education system.

History

The oldest tertiary institution to be founded in Australia was the theological school Christ College in

Bishopsbourne Bishopsbourne is a mostly rural and wooded village and civil parish in Kent, England. It has two short developed sections of streets at the foot of the Nailbourne valley south-east of Canterbury and centred from Dover. The settlement of P ...

, Tasmania, in 1846. Today Christ College is a residential college of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

, which was founded in 1890, making the university the fourth oldest in the country. In 1868 Tasmania became the first Australian colony to introduce compulsory education. In 1885 the Tasmanian Department of Education was founded under the ''Education Act 1885 (Tas)'', the fifth Australian colony to establish a government department with specific responsibility for education and public instruction. In 1908 school fees for compulsory education were abolished, the last Australian state to do so.

Early childhood education

The Tasmanian Education Department Launching into Learning program is a free program for young children (from birth to 4 years old) and their families. It helps parents and their child get to know their local school and other families. Launching into Learning operates in all Tasmanian Government primary and district schools and Child and Family Centres.

Primary education

Whereas all other Australian states have a two-tiered system for primary and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

education, in Tasmania a three-tiered system applies covering primary, high school for students from Years 7 to 10, and colleges for students in Years 11 and 12, and in some college, an optional

Year 13 Year 13 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Northern Ireland and New Zealand. It is sometimes the thirteenth and final year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-compulsory e ...

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

commences for children aged from four years old on 1 January in the year of enrolment. Children who are formally identified as gifted may be eligible to start Kindergarten early – and they must be aged at least three years and six months as of 1 January in the year in which they will start. Students begin their first year of school (preparatory) in the year the child will turn six years of age.TAS They spend seven years in primary school before progressing to secondary education, like other states.

Secondary education

Similarly to other states, years 11 and 12 students can obtain the

Tasmanian Certificate of Education The Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) is the main credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies (years 11 and 12 or equivalent) in Tasmania, Australia. It was introduced in 1992 ...

(TCE) or can complete Vocational Education Training. Yet unlike other states, Tasmania has separate schools, called ''colleges'', for the final two years. Years 7-10 are undertaken at ''high schools'', although ''district schools'' and many nongovernment schools combine primary, high school, and college education together, depending on the needs of the school. There has been much of criticism of this system of education as only half of Year 10 students will go on to college and complete their secondary education. Furthermore, 50% of the state is classified as functionally illiterate, and more than half of the state's teenagers fall below the national baseline for maths. Students who do not live near a college, which are all located in Hobart, Launceston, Devonport and Burnie, are frequently required to board to obtain their TCE, forcing many 16 year-olds to leave home. However, recent changes by the Tasmanian government has led to a push to make regional high schools offer TCE subjects.

Public high schools

Public high schools are predominantly

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

and teach students from Years 7 to 10 or more recently Year 12. A list of these schools is located at the list of high schools in Tasmania.

Colleges

In Tasmania, colleges only cater for Year 11 and 12 students. There are eight government colleges in Tasmania, and one independent college. A list of these schools is located at the list of college schools in Tasmania.

Non-government schools

The non-government schools in Tasmania generally have a religious affiliation, although the involvement of the sponsoring organisation varies between schools. The schools differ in the format of public schools and offer a range of year levels. A list of these schools is located at the list of non-government schools in Tasmania.

District schools

In Tasmania there are 26 district schools or district high schools. These schools are located in rural areas where primary and secondary education are taught on a single campus, usually ranging from kindergarten to Year 12 (K-12). A list of these schools is located at the list of district schools in Tasmania.

Homeschool education

Tasmania has an active Homeschooling community. Homeschool families in Tasmania must be registered with the Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council (THEAC), which is an advisory and monitoring board which reports to the Minister for Education. In 2012 there were 660 homeschooling students registered in Tasmania, giving Tasmania the highest ratio of homeschooled students to students in traditional schools (6.4 per 1000 children) in Australia.

Tertiary education

The largest public education institution in Tasmania is the

, with major campuses at Newnham (in Launceston) and Sandy Bay (in Hobart), along with a north-west centre in

Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...

(formerly known as TAFE Tasmania) also offers Tertiary qualifications across multiple locations within Tasmania.

School terms

The academic year in Tasmania generally runs from the beginning of February until mid-December for primary and secondary schools, and for colleges exams start early in November. Tasmanian schools operate on a four-term basis. Schools are closed for the Tasmanian public holidays.

References

External links

Tasmanian Department of Education
{{Australia topic, title=

, prefix=Education in, VI=Victoria