August 29, 2019
Ever wondered about schooling options in rural or remote Australia? Living hundreds of miles away from the nearest city has its challenges. For some kids living in these areas, mainstream school just isn’t an option. Luckily, though, with the advances in technology and better internet coverage throughout the ‘outback’, accessing a quality education from home is now totally possible.
In this week’s blog, we’ll be chatting about remote and rural demographics in Aus, the history of distance learning and the schooling options that are now available for those of you living or planning on living in far flung areas down under.
Demographics
It’s no secret that Australia is absolutely giant. Aside from the cities and towns around the coast, and if you’re not counting kangaroos, most of the land is barely populated, with the average person per square km being a meagre 3. But the Aussie bush and outback is home to people and communities that make up around 30% of the population. These mainly include farmers, cattle ranches, mining and aborigine communities.
Distance Education in Australia
If you’re part of the 30% of Aussies living in rural, remote or regional areas of Australia, you’ll know how hard it can be to access certain amenities. Getting to hospital, the post office, banks and school can take hours. Families usually opt for home-education when it comes to their kids’ schooling, with others choosing boarding schools nearer the towns and cities.
Because so much of the country is remote, Australian education has always made a point of making schooling more accessible. After Aussie engineer invented the pedal radio in 1929, the Royal Flying Doctor Service was set up using the technology. This provided (and still does!) healthcare for people in Aus living in remote areas.
Inspired by this, Adelaide Miethke introduced the first ‘School of the Air’ in 1951. This was known as a ‘correspondence school’. They broadcasted lessons via two-way radio to kids in isolated areas, which completely changed the game for distance learning. Not only did it allow children living remotely to learn and keep up with their ‘townie’ peers, it also brought them and their families together which provided a much-needed sense of community.
Nowadays, the School of the Air is still going strong. It provides lessons for kids in every state in Australia apart from Tasmania.
Online Schooling
Online schooling has become more and more popular in recent years. It has opened up learning opportunities for children all over the world in various situations. It also offers a unique opportunity for families like you, who, despite having limited access to schooling options, want their child to have a consistent and high quality education.
My Online Schooling Asia Pacific provides a full-time education online for children living in Australia and across Asia. Lessons are all taught live by fully qualified teachers, that your child can go to without leaving your living room!
Sound like it could be a good option for your you? Download our school prospectus here to find out more.