Saul Eslake says the strong link between educational attainment and economic outcomes is something we cannot ignore.
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The Tasmanian economist made the comments in a submission to the Australian Council for Educational Research’s review of years 9 to 12 in the state.
In July, Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff asked ACER for the independent review to look at the way education was provided for senior students in Tasmania.
The review will look at curriculum policy design and delivery in the public and private sectors and will be handed to the government by the end of the year.
About 35 submissions have already been received from a variety of different schools and organisations.
Many submissions have stated that there is something not working in the education system in Tasmania and that more needs to be done to retain students in school past year 10.
To date, submissions have been submitted for both sides – some stating we should keep the college system and others calling for high schools to be extended to years 11 and 12.
Mr Eslake used his submission to state that there was a direct link between education and the economy.
He said that data proved the higher the level of education a person had, the more likely they were to be participating in the labour force.
“In this area, there is probably less disagreement among economists than there is on almost any other question,” Mr Eslake said.
“The more education a person has, the more likely he or she is to participate in the labour market, the less likely he or she is to be unemployed and the more likely he or she is to get paid for doing that job.”
He said if more people were to go on to complete years 10, 11 and 12 in the future, we could eventually see more people in employment in Tasmania.
“It would not happen immediately but over a long period of time, say over 25 years, I think we could see a significant difference,” Mr Eslake said.
“I can’t think of any other single thing that could be done that would make a bigger difference.”
Mr Eslake has been an advocate for schools not ending at year 10, not just for educational reasons, but for economic value.
“Providing year 11 and 12 courses in physically separate facilities … will necessarily entail higher per-student costs,” he said.
