Call for quotas to fix the gender gap in state’s selective schools

In Victoria, the proportion of girls enrolled in the state’s two co-educational selective schools fell from a combined 46 per cent in 2014 to 44 per cent last year. The lowest point in the last five years was 2023, when 42 percent of students at the two schools were girls.

Grade 10 student Shishira Chakravartula was in the minority when she joined Nossal High School last year. But he said he never felt outnumbered.

“Because we’ve all done it [entrance] “It felt like we entered the exam as equals,” he said.

Her mother, Anusha Srinivasan, said she felt Shishira had gained confidence since moving to Nossal.

Sarah Ghumman, 18, graduated from Suzanne Cory High School. He said he supports quotas even though he doesn’t recognize gender inequality.

“Every gender can learn from and respect each other,” he said.

The Ministry of Education did not answer questions about whether quotas would be taken into account, but said the gender imbalance was due to the five girls’ schools in the state system diverting girls from co-educational selective schools.

“[This impacts] a department spokesperson said they have the ability to maintain gender balance.

A report on gender equality in selective schools commissioned by the state government in 2022 found that safety concerns and traveling long distances were the main barriers, with parents more likely to worry about girls’ long commutes than boys.

Emily Gray, a co-author of the report, said the value girls placed on friendship groups revealed reluctance to move to a new school.

Suzanne Cory and Nossal high schools start in 9th grade when students are 15 and 16 years old.

Teacher Sophia Ao, a graduate of Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, said the outer suburban locations of Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School may deter some families.

“Students start this commuting thing at age 9, so 14, and that can definitely be worrying for parents, especially parents of girls,” he said. “A long commute can also be stressful, especially during VCE years.”

Gray said schools’ overreliance on STEM subjects as a measure of academic ability also likely plays a role in girls’ underrepresentation.

“If it is not accepted that girls are successful in STEM fields [science, technology, engineering and mathematics]”They may not be identified as candidates for a selected entry school,” he said.

Inclusive education expert at the Australian Catholic University, Dr. Matthew White agrees.

He said the entrance exam has traditionally focused on science and mathematics, with humanities subjects instead where girls generally perform better.

But White said implementing quotas would be a quick solution to a complex problem.

He said schools should identify gifted students in third grade and provide opportunities for expansion into STEM, especially for girls.

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“If they are not trained, they will not have the opportunity to apply and take the entrance exam,” he said.

At John Monash School of Science, a specialist selective school in Clayton, the proportion of girls fell from 49 per cent in 2020 to 45 per cent last year.

The number of places available at Melbourne High School, an all-boys school in South Yarra, has consistently outstripped the number of places available at Mac.Robertson, an all-girls selective school in Melbourne.

The Victorian government allocated $500,000 to tackle the imbalance in 2018; This corresponded to a difference of almost 500 people in 2017. Among the measures was increasing Mac.Robertson’s capacity.

Last year, the difference was 196 places compared to 375 places five years ago.

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