The system of education in Australia is not unified, because each state decides about its own education in its territory. The Federal Government decides only about the education of the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
    Basically we can say that school attendance is compulsory from the age of six until the age of fifteen (sixteen in Tasmania).

 PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

    The pre-school centres are attended by children from the age of four and provide 2.5-3 hours of education a day. The children in isolated areas may use the services of mobile kindergartens. In bigger towns there are day nurseries and day-care centres providing whole-day care.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

    Primary schools provide education for children up to the age of 12 (or 13).

SECONDARY EDUCATION

    The primary schools are followed by secondary schools which are mostly in the form of co-educational comprehensive high school. Some states have specialized secondary schools. Other possibilities are area and rural schools which last 3 years. After 3 or 4 years of attending the secondary school the children may either take a job or continue studying for two more years and pass a school leaving exam, which gives them the right to enter university or other forms of tertiary education. Primary and secondary education are free of charge.

TERTIARY EDUCATION

    The tertiary education in financed by the Federal Government. In Australia there are 19 universities - the biggest one is the Australian National University in Canberra. The University of Sydney ranks among the oldest in Australia. Colleges of Advanced Education provide specialized education following the needs of industry, trade etc. In Australia there are about 180 Technical Colleges and 10 Colleges of Agriculture.The students are supported by the government in the form of various scholarships and grants.

CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL

    Children living far from school or disabled children may be excused from school attendance, but they are educated through Correspondence School and School of the Air (mutual communication of the school children and teachers in the centres through radio and TV). Children listen, talk to their teachers and ask questions over the radio. They write exercises and do homework which is sent off by post to be corrected. They meet their teachers only once a year, at a summer camp.

    The school year starts at the end of January or the beginning of February and finishes in the middle of December, being interrupted by two shorter holidays which divide the school year into three parts.