Higher education at the crossroads: an overview paper

The Australian Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of the higher education sector to ensure that Australia’s higher education institutions are best placed to contribute to the nation’s future. This overview paper outlines the expectations of higher education and sets out some of the characteristics of the current system, the challenges the system faces and a number of the key issues that affect higher education. It raises a number of questions that are intended to inform the debate and invites comments and submissions on the issues it raises as well as on other issues...  [+] Show more

The Australian Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of the higher education sector to ensure that Australia’s higher education institutions are best placed to contribute to the nation’s future. This overview paper outlines the expectations of higher education and sets out some of the characteristics of the current system, the challenges the system faces and a number of the key issues that affect higher education. It raises a number of questions that are intended to inform the debate and invites comments and submissions on the issues it raises as well as on other issues relating to higher education. Included as attachments are: Background and statistics; Main policy developments of the last thirty years; Some different national structures of higher education; Diversity and performance of Australian universities.

The issues paper ‘Varieties of learning: the interface between higher education and vocational education and training’ is indexed at TD/TNC 71.378.