Secretary Mark Scott talks with student leaders.
The Secretary of the Department of Education, Mark Scott put himself at the mercy of schoolchildren as part of Education week last week, meeting with them in a Secretary for the Day project.
Up for discussion were such topics as the Department’s strategic plan, attracting teachers to rural areas, addressing inequality in private tutoring and whether the HSC was still fit for purpose.
Mr Scott welcomed the questions, saying that the Secretary for a Day program was just one way to tap into ‘student voice’, the focus of Education week.
“I think our ability to tap into student voice, beyond the Tell Them From Me survey is an interesting opportunity for us,” Mr Scott said.
He commented on some of the ways higher education institutes were seeking feedback from their students and how the Department could make further use of these strategies.
“TAFE has just developed an app that allows students to give feedback on classes, and on subjects, and on teachers,” Mr Scott said.
“It’s really interesting – if you go to university, they will give you forms so you could provide feedback on what this learning experience has been like for you,” he said.
“It’s an interesting question for us, particularly in the senior years of school, whether we should be using technology to get more feedback.”
