The department monitors the outcomes of children and young people as they move from early childhood through their school years and into further education and work. It also monitors the progress of adult learners seeking to re-skill and re‑engage with the workforce. Progress is measured through 4 objectives of:
- achievement
- engagement
- wellbeing
- productivity.
In 2021–22, the department continued supporting Victorian children, students and their communities. As we entered the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the department’s focus shifted to ensuring face‑to‑face learning resumed uninterrupted across education settings. This was supported through the introduction of a full suite of COVIDSafe measures. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to affect the delivery of some services and programs.
Education and training were critical to Victoria’s social and economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, TAFEs delivered free training courses for school leavers, young people and job seekers, as well as supported the community more broadly with free infection prevention and control training.
Objectives
Raise standards of learning and development achieved by Victorians using education, training, and early childhood education services.
The department continues to equip children and students of all ages with the skills they need to reach their potential and achieve success in early childhood and school settings, and in life.
Early childhood education
During 2021, the department supported the early childhood education sector during periods of public health restrictions to ensure that children continued learning in services or at home, service providers remained viable, and teachers and educators continued to be employed.
Access to high-quality ECEC services is central to giving every Victorian child the best start in life. Victorian services continue to perform well against the National Quality Standards for ECEC services, with 91.9% meeting or exceeding NQSA1 in 2021. This is a steady improvement in the quality of educational program and practice since 2015 from 87.0%.
The most recent AEDC in 2021 indicated that more than 82% of Victorian children in their first year of school were developmentally ‘on track’ on the language and cognitive skills domain.
School education
The delivery of school education services in Victoria during 2021 continued to feature periods of remote and flexible learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial adjustments were made to ensure Victorian schools rapidly and successfully adapted to the changing circumstances.
The department continues to monitor progress against NAPLAN-based BP3 measures, with a focus on improving student achievement in reading and numeracy. The department is implementing the Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan 2016–26 to target learning and development improvements for Aboriginal Victorians.
There have been strong improvements across most year levels relative to the 2015 NAPLAN results. In the 2021 NAPLAN tests, a greater proportion of Victorian students achieved above the national minimum standards than any other Australian state or territory. Key 2021 NAPLAN outcomes include:
- increases of 8.3 and 7.9 percentage points in the top 2 bands of Years 3 and 5 Reading, and an increase of 1.6 and 1.1 percentage points in Years 3 and 5 Numeracy respectively, since 2015. Year 7 Numeracy results have also increased 6.5 percentage points since 2015.
- Aboriginal student achievement in primary school increasing 8.3 and 13.0 percentage points in the top 3 bands in Years 3 and 5 Reading and 1.0 and 3.9 percentage points in Years 3 and 5 Numeracy since 2015. Year 7 Numeracy results for Aboriginal students have increased 4.0 percentage points since 2015.
While these results are very pleasing, the department continues to monitor the cumulative impact of the pandemic on student learning and wellbeing.
A key program that supports the development of graduate and returning teachers to achieve full registration is the Effective Mentoring Program. In 2021, 1,033 experienced teachers completed the Effective Mentoring Program, exceeding the target of 900. This supported those experienced teachers to more effectively mentor graduate and returning teachers in schools and early childhood settings.
The Victorian PLC initiative provided professional learning to 368 schools during 2021. This comprised professional learning for 130 schools new to the initiative, coaching for 152 schools to strengthen implementation, and workshops for a further 86 schools to strengthen PLC structures within their schools.
The Tutor Learning Initiative was introduced in 2021 to support students whose learning was most disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program was available to both government and non-government schools and engaged more than 7,760 teachers and tutors. Through the program, targeted learning support was provided to approximately 200,000 students in 2021.
Higher education and skills
Victoria’s education and training system is helping to rebuild the Victorian economy by ensuring we have the right number of skilled workers in the right industries and that Victorians most impacted by the pandemic have the best possible reskilling opportunities and employment prospects.
Training activities and programs recovered in 2021 as student confidence levels grew and the availability of practical placements increased. There were 328,811 government subsidised enrolments in the system in 2021, which exceeded the target of 317,500. Student satisfaction remained high as providers continued to deliver high-quality training.
The Free TAFE for priority courses initiative had enrolments of approximately 55,000, and above the target. This contributed to more than 157,000 government-subsidised course enrolments in the TAFE network, exceeding the target of 145,000. In 2021, there were almost 53,000 government-subsidised apprenticeship course enrolments, exceeding expectations and the target of 49,900.
Departmental indicators against achievement
Indicators
Unit
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Early childhood education
Children developmentally ‘on track’ on the AEDC language and cognitive skills domains
Proportion of children developmentally ‘on track’ on the AEDC language and cognitive skills domains [1]
%
–
84.6
–
–
82.6
Proportion of early childhood services meeting or exceeding NQSA1—Educational program and practice
School education
Students meeting the expected standard in national and international literacy and numeracy assessments [2]
Proportion of students above the bottom 3 NAPLAN bands [3]:
Year 3—Literacy
%
78.3
79.9
78.5
–
81.3
Year 3—Numeracy
%
71.7
71.6
71.8
–
68.2
Year 5—Literacy
%
66.9
70.4
69.7
–
73.8
Year 5—Numeracy
%
61.8
62.2
64.0
–
64.3
Year 7—Literacy
%
60.8
59.7
62.0
–
61.7
Year 7—Numeracy
%
64.2
61.1
64.2
–
62.3
Year 9—Literacy
%
50.4
53.0
52.3
–
49.7
Year 9—Numeracy
%
53.6
57.5
55.4
–
51.9
Proportion of students in the top 2 NAPLAN bands [3]:
Year 3—Literacy
%
56.5
58.3
58.0
–
61.9
Year 3—Numeracy
%
44.3
43.8
44.7
–
40.0
Year 5—Literacy
%
39.7
43.0
40.4
–
44.8
Year 5—Numeracy
%
30.6
31.1
33.3
–
33.0
Year 7—Literacy
%
30.9
28.5
30.7
–
30.7
Year 7—Numeracy
%
35.0
31.1
36.2
–
34.3
Year 9—Literacy
%
20.5
21.7
22.6
–
21.8
Year 9—Numeracy
%
23.8
27.2
25.7
–
21.4
Proportion of Year 4 students reaching international benchmarks (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS))—Reading[4]
%
–
–
–
–
–
Proportion of Year 4 students achieving the intermediate international benchmark (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS))— Mathematics [5]
%
–
–
72.0
–
–
Proportion of Year 8 students achieving the intermediate international benchmark (TIMSS)— Mathematics [5]
%
–
–
67.1
–
–
Proportion of 15-year-old students achieving at or above proficient standard (level 3) in PISA reading literacy [6]
%
–
62.3
–
–
–
Proportion of 15-year-old students achieving at or above proficient standard (level 3) in PISA mathematical literacy[6]
%
–
56.5
–
–
–
Average score in science (PISA 15-year-olds) in Victoria compared to global top performers
Average score in science (PISA 15‑year‑olds) in Victoria compared to global top performers [7]
mean score
–
-19
–
–
–
Percentage of positive responses to teacher collaboration within schools
Percentage of positive responses to teacher collaboration within school
%
61.2
60.9
61.0
62.9
58.8
Year 12 or equivalent completion rates of young people
Year 12 or a non-school qualification at Certificate II level or above of young people 20–24 years [8]
%
87.7
90.5
90.4
89.9
89.0
Higher education and skills
VET course completions
VET completions
number
94,300
101,300
94,200
71,600
85,800
Certificate III or above completions
Certificate III or above completions
number
75,000
78,700
71,600
53,800
65,600
Proportion of graduates with improved employment status after training
Proportion of graduates with improved employment status after training [9]
%
47.1
51.4
50.1
55.4
55.7
[1] The AEDC is held every 3 years, with the 2021 AEDC data collection being the fifth collection. Data source: AEDC 2021 Report – Findings from the AEDC.
[2] Victorian government and non-government schools.
[3] The 2020 NAPLAN assessment was cancelled in March 2020 – therefore results cannot be reported.
[4] Source: PIRLS, 2021. Data collected every five years, international and national reports for PIRLS 2021 will be released in December 2022 and will be reported in the department’s 2022–23 Annual Report, contingent on international publication timelines.
[5] Source: S. Thomson, N. Wernert, S. Rodrigues, & E. O’Grady, 2020, TIMSS 2019 Australia. Volume I: Student performance, Australian Council for Educational Research. TIMSS data is collected every four years. The intermediate international benchmark is considered the Australian National Proficient Standard. The next assessment is scheduled to be undertaken in 2023. Results will be published in the department’s 2024–25 Annual Report, contingent on international publication deadlines.
[6] PISA data is collected every 3 years. In Australia, the national agreed baseline, in the Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia (May 2015), is at or above the National Proficient Standard (Level 3). The next PISA assessment has been postponed to 2022 (due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on member countries) and will be reported in the department’s 2022–23 Annual Report, contingent on international publication timelines.
[7] Top performing PISA jurisdictions are defined as the top 25% of jurisdictions (both countries and economic areas) undertaking the PISA test in that cycle based on their mean score. Country/economic area rankings may shift over time.
[8] Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Education and Work (cat.no. 6227.0). These are survey estimates and subject to statistical error. Outcomes reported for 2014–17 are consistent with previous Annual Reports but differ slightly from those reported in the May 2018 ABS publication, as ABS revises this time series for various reasons, as described at https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/6227.0Explanatory%20Notes1May%202018?OpenDocument .
[9] Source: Victorian Student Satisfaction Survey (multiple years). The survey is of students who completed or left training in the previous year. Results have been rearranged to refer to the year of the Survey. Therefore, the 2021 result (latest available) in this table is of student training experiences in 2020, based on the 2021 Satisfaction Survey. Due to 2 changes in the survey methodology, the results for this measure cannot be compared over time. In the 2018 Survey (of 2017 experiences), respondents were given an extra response option in one of the relevant questions. In the 2020 Survey (of 2019 experiences), a further change was made to the job-related benefits question to reduce complexity and confusion.
Increase the number of Victorians actively participating in education, training and early childhood education services.
Engagement with early childhood education, school, and training and skills services has changed through the COVID 19 pandemic and associated restrictions. In 2021, we continued to see improvements across early childhood education and training and skills settings.
Early childhood education
The department is reforming the early childhood sector by making services more accessible and inclusive, and supporting higher-quality education. This gives Victorian children the best start in life.
In 2021, 92.9% of children were enrolled in kindergarten in the year before school. This was higher than in the previous 3 years and shows strong engagement in kindergarten.
The department continues to focus dedicated supports on cohorts more likely to miss out on kindergarten. These include children in out-of-home care, newly arrived migrants and refugees, and children attending family day care or other early childhood services that do not have a funded kindergarten program.
Collaborative efforts in recent years have improved participation, particularly for Aboriginal children, and 3-year-olds known to Child Protection and who are eligible for Early Start Kindergarten. Three-Year-Old Kindergarten continued targeted supports for children who have a disability, developmental delay, or who are vulnerable or disadvantaged.
In 2021, the participation of Aboriginal children in kindergarten was similar to the overall participation rate. Early Start Kindergarten was extended to include children of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds and its participation rate increased by 8 percentage points to approximately 76%.
Early Start Kindergarten and the Access to Early Learning Program ensures that children experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage are able to fully participate in quality, universal early education and care. In 2021, a total of 3,245 3-year-olds accessed a funded kindergarten program through the Early Start Kindergarten grant and Access to Early Learning Program. This is the highest number of children ever supported through these programs and includes approximately 400 children from a refugee or asylum seeker background.
Victoria’s ECEC sector continues to provide high levels of care, with the vast majority of providers performing strongly against national standards. In 2021, 98.0% of Victorian ECEC services met or exceeded NQSA6. This improvement has been increasing since 2016.
School education
Student attendance and engagement were a significant focus for the department during 2021 to maintain wellbeing and social connection while progressing learning outcomes.
Although the average number of days absent per FTE student in government schools increased from 2020 to 2021, absent rates remain below pre-pandemic for most year levels.
During 2021, absence rates for Aboriginal students were higher than previous years, which may reflect concern regarding familial vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is positive, however, that Victoria’s Aboriginal students in Years 1 to 10 in government schools have the highest attendance rate in Australia at 84.2% [1].
The department collaborated with program providers to support a range of flexible education delivery options to support student participation during the extended lockdown in Term 3, 2021. This included onsite and online delivery, outside‑of‑school‑hours delivery, and flexibility in the deployment of staff and supports for absent students.
Participation in school sports is an indicator of student engagement. In 2021, over 400,000 student participation opportunities were provided via interschool sports. This was achieved despite the disruptions to School Sport Victoria programs during 2021. School Sports Victoria programs have resumed in 2022, including interschool sport, an expanded play program, and preparations for state representative teams to participate in the School Sport Australia Championships in 2022.
Online resources were developed to support schools to deliver theory-based elements of a water safety curriculum while indoor and outdoor pools were closed during 2021. In October 2021, the School Swimming Outside of School Hours Voucher program was announced to support students to catch up on pool-based swimming programs during 2022.
Positive engagement with schooling improves student achievement. Most Victorian students believe that their school provides a stimulating learning environment. Primary school student perceptions of stimulating learning increased in 2021, while secondary school students reported a slight decline from previous years.
Higher education and skills
VET provides critical skills that lead learners to jobs and strengthen Victoria’s economy. In 2021, an increase in enrolments was supported by the continued uptake of Free TAFE, which reported 16% more enrolments compared to 2020. The Free TAFE initiative reduces the financial barriers for students so they can train in courses that lead to in‑demand jobs that support the Victorian economy.
The department also recognised that some people affected by the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on the labour market during 2020 and 2021 may want to retrain to change occupations or careers. TAFEs and other training providers were given an allocation of eligibility exemptions to offer in 2021. The eligibility exemptions allowed a person to retrain for a different career and get subsidised training, regardless of their previous qualification level.
Teaching continues to be of a high standard, with 86.6% of VET students satisfied with teaching quality. This high level of performance has remained stable for the last 5 years.
Departmental indicators against engagement
Indicators
Unit
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Early childhood development
Participation in a kindergarten service in the year before school
Participation in a kindergarten service in the year before school
%
93.4
92.1
91.8
89.1
92.9
Proportion of ECEC services meeting or exceeding NQSA6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities
Proportion of ECEC services meeting or exceeding NQSA6
%
96.2
96.9
97.4
97.8
98.0
School education
Mean number of student absence days per FTE per year
Year 5
number
15.5
15.6
16.4
13.6
14.9
Year 6
number
16.3
16.3
17.3
13.8
15.7
Years 7–10
number
20.2
20.4
21.3
18.9
22.7
Years 11–12
number
16.6
16.9
17.3
14.8
16.8
Mean number of unapproved student absence days per FTE per year in primary schools
Years 1–6
number
5.0
3.8
3.6
5.3
5.4
Mean number of unapproved student absence days per FTE per year in secondary schools
Years 7–12
number
7.8
6.6
6.4
8.3
9.2
Students with a positive opinion about their school providing a stimulating learning environment
Proportion of student responses that ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that their school provides a stimulating learning environment:
Years 4–6
%
81.1
81.0
81.3
77.6
79.2
Years 7–9 [2]
%
52.0
54.3
55.1
57.8
53.2
Years 10–12 [2]
%
52.3
54.2
55.6
59.3
54.3
Higher education and skills
Accredited VET enrolments by student age and gender
15–19 years
number
53,500
49,900
50,800
45,700
47,000
20–24 years
number
65,200
60,700
62,900
61,400
68,100
25–44 years
number
110,800
100,000
108,500
105,200
118,900
45–64 years
number
56,100
49,500
51,400
45,700
48,800
Female
number
144,600
133,500
143,400
135,000
149,900
Male
number
147,000
131,800
135,100
126,400
136,600
VET enrolments by administrative region
South western
number
129,500
114,000
118,200
110,200
120,000
North western
number
76,300
72,700
71,500
61,500
67,400
North eastern
number
60,600
55,700
58,600
52,500
58,100
South eastern
number
81,300
73,500
81,000
74,100
85,700
VET enrolments by skills shortage category courses
Government-subsidised enrolments in skill demand occupations
number
111,500
99,900
104,900
106,900
- [3]
VET enrolments by specialised category courses
Government-subsidised enrolments in specialist occupations
number
69,800
68,400
71,500
69,200
- [3]
VET participation by learners facing barriers
Indigenous people
number
5,000
4,900
5,300
4,900
5,300
People with a disability
number
31,100
29,100
30,100
25,100
26,700
VET participation by unemployed learners
VET participation by unemployed learners
number
75,400
62,800
66,100
61,000
66,400
Proportion of VET students satisfied with the teaching in their course
Proportion of VET students satisfied with the teaching in their course [4]
%
85.6
85.6
84.4
86.3
86.6
[1] 2022 Report on Government Services - Table 4A.18
[2] In 2020–21, the results were reported against the wrong year levels (Years 7–10 and Years 11–12). This has been corrected in this Annual Report.
[3] Responsibility for reporting on skills in demand has transferred to the VSA which was established in July 2021 in response to the recommendations of the Skills for Victoria’s Growing Economy Review. The VSA is developing the first Victorian Skills Plan, which will outline occupations in demand across Victoria using an improved methodology. This will form the basis of ensuring alignment of enrolments to occupational demand.
[4] Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) National Student Outcomes Survey Government-funded qualification completer outcomes: time series of key findings 2012–2021 Table 3. Results have been rearranged to refer to the year of the survey to align with results published by NCVER. Title of measure has been revised to align with title as published by NCVER.
Increase the contribution education, training, and early childhood education services make to good health and quality of life for all Victorians, particularly children and young people.
The department maintained a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing throughout 2021. The updated Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) placed wellbeing alongside learning as a core outcome for Victorian government school students.
Early childhood education
Wellbeing indicators are positive for most Victorian children starting school. Results from the 2021 School Entrant Health Questionnaire, a survey of parents with children starting school, showed that more than 78% of children are at low risk of behavioural problems. The proportion of children entering school with no general development issues has also declined since 2019.
More than three-quarters of Victorian children in their first year of school are assessed by their teachers as ‘on track’ against the AEDC social competence or emotional maturity domains.
School Readiness Funding supports children’s engagement in kindergarten programs. The funding helps build child development in communication (language development), wellbeing (social and emotional), and access and inclusion. A menu of evidence–informed programs and supports has been developed to guide kindergarten services with their spending in these areas. In 2021, all eligible funded kindergartens in the state received an allocation of School Readiness Funding, including all Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. The funding reached more than 2,700 kindergarten services and approximately 87,000 children.
School education
Student wellbeing factors, such as feeling safe and connected to school, are important for student happiness and other aspects of school life. The student Attitudes to School Survey measures government school students’ responses to various aspects of school life, including how connected they feel to school, their sense of safety at school and the behaviour of students in their classroom.
Nearly 80% of primary students and more than 50% of secondary students, reported feeling connected to their schooling. Results from 2021 indicated that the proportion of primary school students feeling connected to their schooling increased slightly, while secondary school student results declined.
Student Support Services responded to the changing COVID-19 environment by adapting service delivery and providing remote support to at-risk and vulnerable students, including voice calls and video conferencing. When face‑to‑face learning resumed, Student Support Services continued to work as part of integrated health and wellbeing teams to support student wellbeing, and promote positive health and educational outcomes.
School Wide Positive Behaviour Support coaches maintained their engagement with schools, and continued to provide online professional learning, including during the periods of remote and flexible learning in 2021. In addition, Mental Health Practitioners have provided direct student counselling and related activities, including family support and referral to specialist services, and supported students and schools through mental health prevention and promotion activities.
Students have been supported through the Glasses for Kids program, which invited Foundation to Year 3 students at 115 targeted schools to participate. This included vision screening 5,629 students and providing free glasses to 1,344 students.
The Affordable School Uniforms program also provided government school students experiencing financial disadvantage with school uniforms and other essential items. Between July 2021 and 30 June 2022, 67,244 students from 1,329 schools received support.
The School Breakfast Clubs program continued to offer free and healthy food for students in 1,000 Victorian government primary, secondary, P-12 and specialist schools, including during periods of remote and flexible learning. Between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022, the program served over 6 million meals and delivered cooking classes to families at 23 schools.
Higher education and skills
VET student satisfaction levels continue to rise, as seen in their overall satisfaction with training which has risen from 85.3% in 2017 to 87.7% in 2021.
Departmental indicators against wellbeing
Indicators
Unit
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Early childhood development
Proportion of children who have no behavioural issues on entry into Prep [1]
Proportion of children who have no behavioural issues on entry into Prep
%
82.7
80.3
77.9
78.0
78.7
Proportion of children who have no general developmental issues identified by parents on entry into Prep
%
43.8
35.0
36.6
36.0
33.1
Children developmentally ‘on track’ on the AEDC social competence and emotional maturity domains [2]
Social competence domain
%
–
77.3
–
–
77.8
Emotional maturity domain
%
–
77.7
–
–
78.4
School education [3]
Students feeling connected to their school
Proportion of Victorian government school student responses that ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that they feel connected to schooling
Years 4–6
%
81.7
81.2
81.0
79.2
79.5
Years 7–9 [4]
%
56.0
56.7
56.0
59.9
53.2
Years 10–12 [4]
%
52.8
53.1
53.3
59.4
50.1
Students with a positive opinion about their school providing a safe and orderly environment for learning
Proportion of Victorian government school students who say they have not been bullied recently
Years 4–6
%
74.7
80.0
81.6
83.3
80.9
Years 7–9
%
73.3
78.8
80.5
88.2
83.4
Years 10–12
%
81.4
85.4
87.5
92.5
89.2
Proportion of Victorian government school students who ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that their teacher sets clear rules / manages misbehaviour effectively
Years 4–6
%
80.1
79.9
79.8
77.0
78.6
Years 7–9
%
56.1
57.8
58.1
61.8
57.3
Years 10–12
%
56.0
56.9
57.5
62.7
57.2
Higher education and skills
Level of student satisfaction with VET
Proportion of government-funded graduates satisfied with training overall [5]
%
85.3
85.2
85.7
87.4 [6]
87.7
[1] In 2021, the number of health assessments conducted by school nurses was lower due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on face-to-face service delivery. As a result, there may be a small variation in results compared to prior years.
[2] The AEDC is held every 3 years, with the 2021 AEDC data collection being the fifth collection. Data source: AEDC 2021 Report – Findings from the AEDC.
[3] These school education measures relate to Victorian government schools.
[4] In 2020–21 the results were reported against the wrong year levels (Years 7–10 and Years 11–12). This has been corrected in this Annual Report.
[5] Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) National Student Outcomes Survey. Government-funded qualification completer outcomes: time series of key findings 2012–2021 Table 3. Title of measure has been revised to align with title as published by NCVER.
[6] The 2020 results have been readjusted to the year of the survey to align with results published by NCVER.
Increase the productivity of our services.
Early childhood education
Investments in services across early childhood, schools and higher education and training continue to grow. The minimum funding available for children attending kindergarten in the year before school has increased between 2016 and 2020, from $3,448 per child to $3,774.
In addition, in 2021 approximately 98% of funded kindergarten services across Victoria participated in the time-limited Free Kinder initiative and were provided additional funding of $2,122 per eligible child in a funded sessional kindergarten service and $2,000 per eligible child in a funded long day care service. The Free Kinder initiative supported kindergarten participation and provided families with economic support as part of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.
School education
Investment in Victoria’s schooling continues to grow with government real recurrent expenditure per FTE student in primary schools increasing to $16,345 in 2019–20 (most recent available data). Government real recurrent expenditure per FTE student in secondary schools increased to $20,277. Analysis of data published in the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services indicates that Victorian Government expenditure in government schools and all schools increased more than any other state or territory between 2014–15 and 2019–20, at 30.1% and 28.4% respectively. [1] The report also indicates Victorian Government expenditure per FTE in government schools increased more than any other state or territory between 2014–15 and 2019–20, at 16.4%. [2]
Higher education and skills
Investment in VET has continued to grow. Since 2016, investment in the VET system, as measured through expenditure per student contact hour, has increased in real terms from $12.87 per hour to $20.01 per hour in 2020 (2020 dollars).
Victoria’s 38% increase in expenditure per student contact hour (2020 dollars) from $14.51 in 2019 to $20.01 in 2020 was the largest increase among all jurisdictions. This was partly due to additional time-limited government support for TAFEs and training providers to provide high quality training during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Departmental indicators against productivity
Indicators
Unit
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Early childhood development
Dollar per kindergarten child per calendar year in the year prior to school
Minimum funding available to the majority of children (approximately 90% in 2021) who access a kindergarten program in the year prior to school
$ per child
3,448
3,549
3,638
3,682
3,774 [3]
School education—primary and secondary
Dollar per primary school student per financial year
Government real recurrent expenditure (including user cost of capital) per FTE student in primary schools (2019–20 dollars)[4]
$ per FTE student
15,445
15,975
16,345
– [5]
– [6]
Dollar per secondary school student per financial year
Government real recurrent expenditure (including user cost of capital) per FTE student in secondary schools (2019–20 dollars)
$ per FTE student
19,196
19,884
20,277
– [6]
– [6]
Higher education and skills
Dollar per VET student contact hour per calendar year
Victorian Government real recurrent expenditure per annual hour (2020 dollars)
$ per hour
15.53
16.02
14.51
20.01
– [6]
[1] Calculations drawn from the 2022 RoGS, table 4A.10
[2] Calculations drawn from the 2022 RoGS, table 4A.14
[3] In 2021, funded kindergarten services participating in the time-limited Free Kinder initiative were funded an additional $2,122 per eligible child in sessional kindergarten services and $2,000 per eligible child in long day care services.
[4] Government expenditure refers to Australian and Victorian Government expenditure. Time series financial data are adjusted to 2019–20 dollars as reported in Table 4A.15. 2017 data relates to 2017–18, 2018 to 2018–19, 2019 to 2019–20, 2020 to 2020–21 and 2021 to 2021–22.
[5] The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services is published in early February each year. There is a time lag in reporting of financial data, with 2020–21 results to be released in 2023 and 2021–22 results in 2024.
[6] The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services Table 5A.2 is published in early February each year. There is a time lag in reporting of financial data, with the 2021 results expected to be released in February 2023.
Updated