What are most pressing education inequality problems in Australia?
The problems are evident at all levels of education. (i) Early childhood education and care (ECEC) The seeds of education and employment disadvantage are sown early in life. Yet ECEC has been a long standing area of neglect in Australia. Participation in preschool programs in Australia is very low compared with other OECD nations and so too is total public expenditure for pre-school education and care. This is reflected in wide inequalities of access to pre-schooling. Better access to ECEC for children of disadvantaged backgrounds, especially between ages 2 and 4, would give these children a better start in life. It would contribute greatly to their cognitive (and to a lesser extent non-cognitive) development and health and, when they become adults, facilitate their entry into employment13. The long term benefits to society will come in the form of lower welfare dependence and crime and higher national productivity. (ii) Secondary education Although full-time students at private school
