Instead of bringing foreign students here, perhaps we should be sending our own students to countries that still have the same attitude to education and values that Australian politicians and education bureaucrats no longer have.

Another choice for parents, along with the choice of public or private education for their children, via a voucher system instead of money going to government employed activists.

post-truth mhaze,

More than happy to concede my error in not checking the stat I was quoting.

I took the Google summary of this page at face value without going into it properly: http://www.macrotrends.net/countries/SGP/singapore/education-spending

While it does say "General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure", the table and graph however are labelled as "Education Spending (% of GDP)".

My bad.

See that is what you do when you are found to have erroneously asserted something like a made up quote about Biden's daughter. Acknowledge your error and move on. You don't double down instead.

"More than happy to concede my error...."

Well there's a first.

All round an interesting and thoughtful read. My only concerns are about two ideas offered.

1) preventing parents and students from becoming the teachers 'enemy'
2) banning mobile phones.

Teachers I know report that a major issue for them is the attitude of parents. A major social issue I believe, reaching far beyond the classroom.
While I wish mobile phones at school could be controlled, they have grown to be such an integral part of society today achieving a school wide ban would be extremely difficult.

Dear Aries54,

Here in Victoria mobile phones in schools have been banned for a couple of years now.

It was done primarily to combat cyber-bullying with limiting distraction as a hopeful secondary benefit.

Unfortunately Ipads have filled the gap and most students are using them to connect with each other in class.

Here in Victoria mobile phones in schools have been banned for a couple of years now.
SteeleRedux,
Are you suggesting such a sensible measure was implemented by the much maligned Andrews Govt ?