Education
Revealed: The Australian universities boasting some of the best courses in the world
Four engineering courses have been ranked in the world’s top 10, while 13 data science and AI courses are in the global top 100. Search our table to see more.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Latest
Opinion
Too ‘dumb’ to be president? No, Mr Trump, he’s dyslexic – like Einstein and me
So Donald Trump thinks a dyslexic person can’t become US president, but America has already had such a leader.
- by Geoff Lee
Opinion
Banning aggro parents from schools is a good move. But don’t stop there
Parents are mad and getting madder. Some are angry and violent. They are putting teachers at risk. But this is far from the only problem our educators are confronting.
- by Jenna Price
Exclusive
The AI chatbots ‘entrapping’ Australian children through sexual content
Almost 80 per cent of Australian children and teens are turning to AI companion bots. The statistic has experts worried.
- by Emily Kowal
Editorial
Schools principals and the need to discipline unruly parents
Some educator’s email addresses are being cloaked for fear staff will be harassed or abused or that they will be expected to respond instantly at all hours.
- The Herald's View
Exclusive
Aggressive, entitled parents to be banned from school in behaviour crackdown
Principals will be given the power to prevent those who engage in unreasonable or threatening behaviour from coming within 25 metres of school grounds and contacting teachers.
- by Emily Kowal and Sally Rawsthorne
Exclusive
Revealed: The biggest predictors of depression, anxiety in teenagers
Bad sleep and trouble at home can set adolescents on a trajectory towards depression and anxiety, an Australian-first study reveals. But some things can help.
- by Kate Aubusson
Teen charged after allegedly firing air gun at Rose Bay school
The 15-year-old boy spent the night in police custody after he allegedly fired an air gun at another student at Rose Bay Secondary College.
- by Emily Kaine
Why this Sydney university is under fire from three directions
UTS is fending off problems on multiple fronts, with staff on strike, a damning report and the disappearance of a pathway for year 12s.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Level heads needed to see bigger picture after rate hike
The latest increase in interest rates is more about rising oil prices than domestic-driven inflation.
Olympic hopeful told to repeat year 11 after missing too much school while training
The free ride snowboarder, currently ranked fifth worldwide, has found himself on the wrong side of the school’s attendance policy after what his family claims was miscommunication.
- by Jackson Graham and Peter Ryan
The kids are watching the AI job carnage. What are they going to do?
Asking Gen Z to decide what career to pursue is an increasingly difficult task. Experts say there is “absolutely no occupation that is completely immune from AI”.
- by Bronte Gossling
‘Not good enough’: NAPLAN test failure run by same company as selective school chaos
Xavier Hacket was caught in two meltdowns caused by tech company Janison. His mother says it’s not fair.
- by Emily Kowal
The $300 a week medicine Daniel feels better without
Daniel Yacoel is one of hundreds of thousands of Australians prescribed medicinal cannabis for a mental health condition but there is little evidence it works.
- by Angus Thomson
Students torment a relief teacher in Perth
A shocking video has emerged of a group of students tormenting a relief teacher, running rampant in a Perth classroom.
Exclusive
Revealed: The state’s most improved schools in the 2025 HSC
Results from 2019 to 2025 were used to identify where was the biggest uptick in the proportion of students achieving band 4, 5 and 6 results.
- by Emily Kowal
Opinion
Lazy students are welching on our uni group assignments. It’s dragging down my marks
If a student isn’t at a level where they can pass a subject, they shouldn’t be able to sail by on the back of someone else’s work.
- by Saria Ratnam
The ‘endangered’ language having its moment in a Sydney pub
Two years ago, the Irish language school had 20 or 30 students attending lessons, now it has between 70 and 80.
- by Aidan Elwig Pollock
Opinion
My son’s school trip to Canberra’s in doubt. That should worry every parent
Swimming lessons, the zoo excursion and overnight camps: these important markers of childhood are now out of reach for many families.
- by Matt Sharpe
‘Morphine drip’: Shorten warns of international student addiction, calls for new tax to fund unis
In a major intervention on the future of tertiary education, Bill Shorten says the broken higher education system forces universities to act as migration levers rather than centres of research.
- by Rob Harris
Updated
Sydney primary school student ‘celebrated’ Bondi terror deaths
The western Sydney public school’s incident is among at least 100 examples of antisemitism in schools since 2024, NSW budget estimates has heard.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Updated
‘It was kinda stressful’: Kids forced to restart NAPLAN tests after tech issue
Students were unable to log on to the online platform when the standardised tests kicked off this morning.
- by Emily Kowal
Mia got early entry to the uni course of her dreams. But is it killing the ATAR?
Early offers give students and universities greater certainty, but there are fears they undermine the whole point of ranking HSC results.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Exclusive
NAPLAN boss issues warning to parents on ‘horrendous misuse’ of student results
Some schools are using the exam results in assessing a student’s suitability for enrolment.
- by Jackson Graham, Ellie Busby and Cindy Yin
Exclusive
Testing chief decries use of NAPLAN scores as entrance exam for private schools
A competitive culture is emerging around the national test, and the NAPLAN head has urged parents to refuse requests by in-demand schools to provide results when trying to enrol their children.
- by Jackson Graham
Opinion
Allow students to use this ‘sneaky drug’, just not at assessment time
We should welcome AI into all aspects of learning, but we’re already playing catch-up when it comes to restricting it from all forms of assessment.
- by Ed Cavanough
Public schools signal ‘cultural’ Palestinian scarf can be worn following accusations of racism
Jad wore his family’s keffiyeh to graduation but that got him banned from his formal.
- by Kate Aubusson and Matthew Knott
Sarah thought she had years to pick a high school. By year 3, kids were already leaving
As public education in NSW recorded 7000 fewer students last year, can anything be done to stop the parent rush to private schools?
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Major childcare company exits Sydney centres after repeated breaches
One of Australia’s largest childcare providers has been almost entirely shut down, after 12 of its centres recorded almost 500 confirmed breaches since they first opened.
- by Emily Kowal
Eight-year-olds taping stomachs flat: Alarm raised over eating disorders in children
Eating disorders are soaring in Australian playgrounds with experts and teachers noting increased prevalence, particularly among younger age groups.
- by Emily Kowal
Exclusive
Inside the mission to rescue Sydney students from a war zone
In the dead of night in a Dubai hotel, 14 Barker College students found themselves in the crossfire of a rapidly escalating conflict. This is how they escaped.
- by Emily Kowal
Exclusive
Adults required to prove age to watch porn, video games in major crackdown
Australians will be unable to access porn, R-rated video games and explicit AI chatbots unless they prove their age, under a landmark crackdown by the eSafety Commissioner.
- by Emily Kowal
Girls lead exodus from state’s public schools
Private school enrolments have hit a record high after public schools enrolment numbers dropped by almost 7000 pupils last year.
- by Christopher Harris and Nigel Gladstone
Exclusive
CCTV, texts to parents: How one Sydney private school is tracking students’ toilet use
A north shore private school is watching students enter and exit the bathroom and alerting parents when their child relieves themselves during class.
- by Emily Kowal
‘Accidental academic’ became scholar of criminology
David Brown was one of the “Four Davids” whose book revolutionised how criminal law was conceived and taught within universities.
- by Luke McNamara
‘Bit of an image problem’: The early maths plan for Australia’s primary schools
A third of Australian students in year 3 had failed to reach numeracy standards, but the SMH School Summit has heard ideas about fixing it.
- by Emily Kowal and Christopher Harris
SMH Schools Summit 2026 as it happened: Prue Car, Sydney university academics, principals speak at annual conference
The state’s top education leaders, principals, and teachers are gathered at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth for an annual summit.
- by Cindy Yin and David Barwell
Opinion
Inspiring students to excel is an idea worth pursuing
The state government is promising to offer more choices for gifted students beyond selective schools.
- by The Herald's View
Exclusive
Every public student granted access to ‘gifted’ education programs
Schools are now offering a range of education options, ranging from enrichment streams, extension classes and STEM programs.
- by Christopher Harris
This beloved sports facility was ‘upgraded’. Now locals are angry ... with a private school
A high-fee independent school struck a lease agreement with a community sports facility. Now locals aren’t happy.
- by Christopher Harris
Karl marched in the first Mardi Gras. News this week took him back to that night
Amid reports of violent hate crimes against LGBTQ people, the parade defiantly – and fabulously – turns 48 on Saturday.
- by Kayla Olaya and Cindy Yin
What do migration debates and bushfires have in common? They both scare off foreign students
Government messaging must be consistent and disciplined because would-be students – and their governments – are reading.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
‘Free flow of people’: China’s ambassador makes rare intervention in student visa debate
Both countries would benefit from more visas for international students and scholars, Beijing’s envoy says, as numbers rebound towards pre-pandemic levels.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
Western Sydney University students and staff get unlimited access to the Herald
Vice Chancellor George Williams said the partnership would enable students and staff to access reliable, trusted news.
‘Quite basic’: Why more parents are rejecting public education
An analysis of enrolment data shows Catholic and other private schools are enrolling the highest share of students in history.
- by Christopher Harris
Exclusive
Revealed: Hundreds of school-leavers with ATARs of less than 50 offered teaching spots
A leading education academic says the ‘downward trend’ is ‘concerning’.
- by Sally Rawsthorne
A Sydney school, a paddock, and a $123 million question
A plan to build on a block of undeveloped land has ignited debate about education and limits of infrastructure.
- by David Barwell
‘Not a school for everyone’: Scots principal warns parents over WhatsApp group chat
Scots College principal Ian Lambert has promised the school will get more microwaves as he defends parent criticism of the lack of facilities and results at the almost $55,000 a year school.
- by Christopher Harris
Opinion
We have an antibiotics problem. They kill more Australians than road accidents
Resistant infections kill about 1600 people in Australia every year, yet we’re barely talking about it.
- by Mark Blaskovich