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School of the Air

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Heather F
Heather F
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

School of The Air: REALLY Long-Distance Learning

  • January 19, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Carmen from Fairfax, Virginia
School of The Air: REALLY Long-Distance Learning

The majority of Australians live along the coastal areas of the country, leaving the red interior sparsely populated. So how do you go to school when the closest farm is 15,000 acres away, much less the closest children? Grab a CB radio (and now the Internet) and a pen and paper – there might be a test later.

Students between the ages of 4 to 13 years who live on cattle stations (farms), national parks, and even Aboriginal communities participate with a teacher via radio and Internet (though it was just the radio up until a few years ago). Tours are given in this two-room building (starting with a short video) as visitors can see a live class in action. Not only are they taught the basics, but music instruction is part of the syllabus as well.

Families with children pay $300 a year to cover the costs of the schooling, and all of their equipment is provided to them (satellites, etc.) The family is also required to hire an in-house tutor to compliment the radio studies. The schooling, in addition to helping the children learn, was also intended as a social tool. Children who might only have kangaroos as playmates come to the school once a year to gather and socialize. Best friends are often positioned hundreds of miles apart.

The admission charge is $4, and the school is open for visitors from 8:30a.m.-4:30p.m. most days, with afternoon hours only on Sundays. The admission goes towards helping with the school’s costs, as does the small gift center.

If you’re in Alice Springs, the school is worth a visit. It shouldn’t take much more than an hour out of your itinerary, and it gives you an idea of just how vast the red center of Australia really is. (They broadcast over 1.3 million square kilometers of space.)

www.assoa.nt.edu.au

From journal Alice Springs – Say G’Day and G’Bye

School of the Air

  • December 19, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Heather F from Heywood, Australia
School of the Air

See how the children of the outback learn - school by radio with the teacher and other students hundreds of kilometres away. There is the opportunity to see the classes in action.

From journal Alice Springs - A long way from anywhere

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