The education system in Tasmania comprises two tertiary education institutions; the government run K-12 schooling system, and numerous independent private schools and colleges, most of which are controlled or sponsored by religious organisations. Public education in Tasmania is managed primarily by the State Government's Department of Education. The Department is responsible for all aspects of education in Tasmania including schooling, Adult Education, the State Library and TasTAFE, a vocational tertiary institution with many campuses around the state. See Education in Australia for an overview of the national system.
History
The oldest tertiary institution to be founded in Australia was the theological school Christ College in Bishopsbourne, Tasmania, in 1846. Today Christ College is a residential college of the University of Tasmania, 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 , the fifth Australian colony to do so. In 1908 school fees for compulsory education were abolished, the last state to do so.
Primary education
Unlike all other Australian states, primary and secondary education in Tasmania is a three-tiered system, instead of a two-tiered system. School are broken up into Primary, High school and College components. Students begin their first year of school in the year the child will turn six years of age. 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 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 school
Public high schools are predominantly co-educational and teach students from years 7 to 10 or more recently year 12.
Colleges
In Tasmania, colleges only cater for year 11 and 12 students. There are eight government colleges in Tasmania, and one private.
There are many non-government schools in Tasmania. Non-government schools generally have a religious affiliation, although the involvement of the sponsoring organisation varies between schools. The following schools differ in the format of public schools and offer a range of year levels. The following non-government schools offer secondary education.
District schools
In Tasmania there are 26 district schools or district high schools. These are schools in rural areas where primary and secondary education are taught on a single campus, usually ranging from kindergarten to Year 12.
Homeschool education
Tasmania has an active Homeschooling community. Homeschool families in Tasmania must be registered with the Tasmanian Home Education Advisory Council, 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 in Australia.
Tertiary education
The largest public education institution in Tasmania is the University of Tasmania, with major campuses at Newnham and Sandy Bay, along with a north-west centre in Burnie. TasTAFE also offers Tertiary qualifications across multiple locations within Tasmania.
