Back to school

+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
2 Feb 2003

Today the vast majority of children go through to complete secondary school, and secondary education has become almost universal. Neither was true when a was going through school.

Another enormous change has been the huge increase in the availability of tertiary education, and the number of institutions providing it, both at university and vocational training levels.

a dynamic and prosperous community needs people of ability from every section of society. Education remains the key to harnessing and developing this talent, and to enabling people to make a successful and satisfying career for themselves.

Dedicated and competent teachers play a crucial role in helping students to learn and to develop their full potential, not least by their example. A have worked with teachers all my life. A am immensely grateful for the wonderful work they do, sometimes in circumstances that are not easy.

Campaigns are being run at the moment to raise the profile and prestige of teaching, and a welcome this. It is undoubtedly one of the most rewarding professions, especially for those who really make it a vocation.

Most youngsters are happy at school. A visit many Catholic schools and they are all basically happy places. It is important that they continue to be so, for while there are certainly families that do not value education very highly, it is the passport to participation in the future. A happy learning environment maximises the chances of picking up this passport.

The start of the school year is an important milestone, especially for those at the start and the end of school. Parents of children starting Kindergarten often feel this acutely. At the other end, the start of Year 12 brings different sorts of feelings.

The best advice a can offer those starting Year 12 this year is to start studying early in the year. Getting into the habit of disciplined work will make the stress more manageable and put you in a great position at the end of the year. Remember that you can't fatten the pig the day before the market.

The last years of school are often a time of great fun and wonderful opportunities. Those who become school leaders play a crucial role in deciding the tone of life at a school. This can have a very big impact for good or ill on the learning environment.

New South Wales has long had a strong exam culture in its school system, and this is something a favour. The publication of results and literacy and numeracy rates helps individual schools to maintain and lift standards. It also helps parents in making decisions about their children's education.

Another recent development is the interest in civics, or what is sometimes called education for citizenship. All schools have an important role to play in the moral education of children, especially in promoting the ideal of service to others and our responsibilities to the community.

Older readers will remember the vicious state-aid debate over government funding to church schools before the 1960s. Thankfully, those days are basically behind us. While there continue to be skirmishes over how much funding richer private schools receive, there is now a consensus across the major parties that recognises the quality education provided by religious schools and their contribution to making Australia a good and better place.