Building Tomorrow: Empowering Students and Promoting Gender Equity
By Madeline | 17 years old | Port Macquarie
Students are growing increasingly disoriented with the education system, deeming it ‘useless’ or too expensive, thereby creating a skills shortage that continues to impact our society and economy.
Educational inefficiency arises from inequitable access to quality education, stemming from disproportionate state and federal funding of public and non-government schools. Crucial skills and education, such as financial literacy, effective sexual and consent education, governmental studies, and real-life skills like First Aid, are left out of the national curriculum. This omission exacerbates the skills shortage within Australia. The financial burden on tertiary students, resulting from the indexation of student fees, similarly disrupts numerous fields, including healthcare, education, and the economy.
The place of young women within male-dominated fields such as STEM, sports management, government, and economics is also crucial to repairing the educational issues that regress Australia socially and economically.
I emphasise this as a young, regional woman with an ambition to work in Australian politics one day. I have found the limited support and opportunities for young girls in this field to be a significant frustration in my attempts to increase my involvement within the field.
I believe the establishment of industry-specific mentorship programs, within male-dominated fields, offered to young girls would increase the accessibility of such industries, as would internship and apprenticeship programs for young women both in city and rural areas.
The world is continuing to develop in the face of changing technology, international affairs, economies, and climate. It's time we prepared young people and future generations to develop the skills needed to survive and adapt appropriately, so they can then continue to progress this nation.
If you could make any changes to the national curriculum, what would you want to improve?
As an avid motorsport fan, I would reform engineering and technology subjects to include more career-path-based units and topics to encourage student participation and interest in STEM subjects as it would increasingly guide students towards these innovative fields, particularly girls and non-binary people, where we see a lack of representation.
What do you think schools could do to encourage more girls/non-binary people to pursue careers in science and STEM-related fields?
The creation of more hands-on experiences in classrooms would offer more opportunities for girls and non-binary people to engage in STEM activities, as would the creation of STEM clubs and events exclusively for girls and non-binary people. Career counsellors should attempt to showcase diverse STEM career paths available to girls and non-binary people and encourage their participation through guest speakers, career fairs and school trips. Overall, schools should strive to challenge stereotypes and cultivate supportive environments by using inclusive language in the classroom. We need school environments where girls and non-binary individuals are valued, respected, and encouraged to pursue their interests in STEM fields.
The views expressed in AYAC’S youth blog are personal and and not an endorsement of AYAC; we value and encourage the diverse perspectives of young people.