Deakin welcomes Labor’s university pledge

DEAKIN University is among the higher education providers that have come out in support of a federal Labor commitment to support Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds to go to university.

Announced last week, the $174 million pledge will go towards mentoring, support, and other specialised programs designed to boost opportunities for university study in communities where graduation rates are low.

“There are many bright, talented students in every part of Australia, but the opportunities for uni study are uneven,” Shadow Minister for Education and Training Tanya Plibersek said.

“Currently, a young person from Moreton Bay in Queensland is about five times less likely to get a uni degree than someone on Sydney’s North Shore. Labor wants to change that.”

Deakin vice-chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander welcomed the pledge, saying that her university was acutely aware of the higher education gap between regional and metropolitan communities.

“With more than 20 per cent of our 60,000 students coming from regional and rural communities, we know that young people from country backgrounds are less likely to engage in higher education or training than their metropolitan counterparts – but we also know that when a young person is given the opportunity to have an education, their outcomes improve.

“Deakin believes everyone has the right to an education and we are committed to ensuring we can provide as many in our community as possible with the access to this right, so they can have a better future and in turn contribute widely to their communities.

“We welcome any policy and funding that supports the work we do at Deakin to encourage disadvantaged students.”

She said Deakin was working hard to break down the barriers to disadvantage for students through programs such as the Deakin Engagement and Access Program (DEAP) – a partnership with schools across south west Victoria and Melbourne that supported students aspiring to higher education – which reached more than 9,000 students this year.

“Another program we are passionate about is the ASPIRE partnership between Deakin’s School of Education and Northern Bay College, Newcomb and Bellarine Secondary Colleges in Geelong, which aims to support high-achieving Years 6 to 10 students to consider their goals beyond school and the benefits of a university degree.”