Why not have Years 7 to 12 high schools?
Most mainland states have Years 7 to 12 high schools. Although their retention rates are higher than ours, they are still low by international standards. Economies of scale would mean that if we did attempt to transpose this model onto Tasmanian high schools, course options would be greatly reduced, particularly VET courses and especially in the smaller rural and regional schools. By instead using the big investment we have in college campuses together with TAFE facilities to develop the new academy and polytechnic we can establish a broad tertiary sector in Tasmania. This will provide for a wide range of course options suited to different learning styles that will meet the needs of many more young and mature-age Tasmanians.
