TW College, a private school that caters for year 12 – aka sace stage 2 – South Australia, has a policy of starting year 12 students, 3 months before the other private college and public high schools. So while everyone else is completing year 11, they have their students doing year 12 in the last 3 months of the year. Effectively they are schooling their year 12 students for a full term more than the other high schools.
In doing so, it is clear to me at least, that this practice gives TW COLLEGE students an unfair advantage over other High School students in the sace stage 2 results – effectively giving the TW College students higher sace 2 scores for university entrance level.
To me this practice is unfair, as this advantage of 33% more time in sace stage 2 subjects, effectively 33% more coaching, preparation, etc ., but also works to in other ways that are in my opinion a bit cheating as well, as guess what, they have the Christmas 6 weeks of holidays to work in as well, that the other students don’t. So Having the extra term + another half term (6 weeks Christmas) I argue effectively makes their scores non-comparable to the other college and High Schools of South Australia, and therefore I argue, that TW students should suffer an academic penality when using the standard SACE 2 path to university entrance, a penalty that effectively nullifies this process of unfair advantages.
On another note to this, as this college is a Catholic based one, how many other Catholic colleges are obtaining this unfair advantage for their students as Stage Sace 2? For that matter, how many catholic schools and colleges around Australia are doing this as well?
I personally don’t have anything against Catholics, in fact my aunt was a member of a cloistered order and had taken the vow of silence. The only time my mum could see her was if she came outside at the time mum was looking through the bars, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Another one of my relatives donated the ground that the Wollongong or Corrimal catholic church now stands on, and even in this day and age, I have many many more catholic relatives than non-catholic I think. I would not dishonor their deeds and generosity and beliefs, though I might argue about them, but this unfair academic advantage isn’t part of Catholicism, and shouldn’t be seen as such.
In fact, I would argue, this isn’t a religious issue at all, I contend it is a wealth issue. Only people who can afford to pay the fees, can get their child in. Therefore, some wealthy people get their children into uni, by taking advantage of such schools that offer these unfair advantages. A social class thing if you like.
Anyway, is this practice of TW College acceptable or not? What say you?