Selective Entry Schools

Creating new selective entry schools will increase the gap between high performing public schools and the rest, the Principal of a Melbourne school has said.

Clare Entwisle, Principal of Kew High School in Melbourne’s east, said the proposed introduction of two new selective schools by the State Government would mean public schools such as hers would lose talented students.

“[The selective concept] robs other schools of their cream and this has a dumbing down effect,” Ms Entwisle said.

“[Kew High] is not too bad now as we have a good crop of high achievers, but in the past it really did mean we were robbed of our best and brightest. Some schools do really suffer the effects.”

The State Government made the promise of two new coeducational selective entry schools in 2006, to complement the two Victoria already has in Melbourne High School for boys and Mac Robertson Girl’s High School for girls.

Patricia Tursi, a teacher at Box Hill Senior Secondary College says she supports the governments move to introduce the new schools.

“The schools will give many more students the chance to experience a more rounded education involving co-curricular activities they wouldn’t have had access to before, with other students who really want to there,” she said.

“Having a selection process means the schools can produce a genuine academic community, which will hugely benefit the student’s education and entire development.”

Ms Entwisle, however, believes the schools simply take the credit for the work the student’s previous school had done.

“Why should one school be able to take the best from another and then take credit for the results?” she said.

“The government has a responsibility to support all schools, not set up quasi private schools in the system to hold up as the best.”

Mac Robertson Girl’s High School has topped the state in terms of VCE results every year since 2002, and Melbourne High’s median ENTER score in 2006 was 95.35, putting half of its students in the top five per cent of the state.

With just two academically exclusive schools, Victoria lags well behind New South Wales which has a total of 17 schools requiring students to take a test prior to enrolment.

The State Government has said the new schools have been budgeted at $20 million, with one to be put in North Melbourne and the second in the outer eastern growth corridor, and will be ready within the next four years.

Breakout: Todd Herskope

Todd Herskope was just one of over 300 students accepted into the academically exclusive Melbourne High School in 2007 from thousands of applicants.

Coming from Camberwell High School where he completed years seven and eight, the 15 year old had high expectations which the school hasn’t taken long to reach.

“I have more opportunities to get involved at Melbourne High,” he said. “I am doing co-curricular activities like cross-country skiing which weren’t on offer at my old school.”

Melbourne High School has many programs and facilities that most public schools can’t offer. Thanks to its association with South Yarra Sports Centre, the students have full access to gym, basketball, tennis and hockey facilities, as well as an indoor pool.

When asked to compare his new school with his old one, Todd said there were some obvious differences.

“There are very few kids who hold back other students in their classes from achieving their full potential because they aren't trying or just want to muck around. Students are more focused and disciplined” he said.

“And we can enjoy a more balanced education, taking part in academic, sporting, musical and social activities because of the hard working and friendly environment that we work in at school”

Reports have shown that compared with other government schools, Melbourne High receives extra public funding, and Todd feels this is justified.

“As it’s a school where students take their work more seriously and want to excel more than at normal public schools, I think it’s fair that MHS receives more funding,” he said.

And while Melbourne High’s results speak for themselves, Todd understands that just being a student of the school doesn’t guarantee him the results he wants.

“I know I’m going to have to work incredibly hard to reach the standards expected by Melbourne High,” he said. “But I think just being accepted into a school labelled ‘academically exclusive’ is an inspiration that will really help.”

Male circumcision could reduce instances of HIV/AIDS in the developing world by almost 60 per cent, the UN has announced.

After international testing and expert consultation, UNAIDS and the World Heath Organisation declared male circumcision should be part of the HIV prevention package in developing nations worldwide.

Recent trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa using almost 11,000 HIV-negative men found heterosexual men with circumcisions had up to a 58 per cent reduced risk of the deadly virus.

Dr Kevin De Cock, Director of the HIV/AIDS department of WHO said in a press release the findings are a significant step forward in HIV prevention.

“Countries with high rates of heterosexual HIV infection and low rates of male circumcision now have an additional intervention which can reduce the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men,” he said.

“Scaling up male circumcision in such countries will result in immediate benefit to individuals.”

These latest trials support findings of numerous studies which have found correlations between lower HIV prevelance in areas of Africa with higher circumcision rates.

Brian Haill, the President of the Australian AIDS Fund Inc. whose website has been promoting male circumcision for a number of years, said it was important such renowned international bodies had accepted the health benefits of circumcision.

“The recognition by the world's most authoritative health body, the World Health Organisation, that male circumcision can make a critical contribution to reducing the global HIV infection rate is hugely important,” he said.

“This vital information now needs to be sent around the world, promoted, and acted upon. The war against HIV/AIDS must utilise every weapon at its disposal and male circumcision is one such valuable and effective weapon.”

UNAIDS has however suggested it may take sometime before a large-scale promotion of male circumcision occurs, and has ruled out promoting forced male circumcision to governments.

UNAIDS chief scientist, Dr Catherine Hankins, said in an interview for UNaids.org that there were many issues to be considered before going ahead with promotion.

“We have to take into account the cultural issues – within cultures and faith traditions in which male circumcision is not considered acceptable,” she said.

Already, the Luo Council of Elders of South East Africa has said no to forced male circumcision due to cultural objections, even though UNAIDS estimates 2.8 million new infections occur annually in the region, and over 60 per cent of the global HIV positive population live in the region.

In South Africa, the 2005 Children’s Act prohibits circumcision for males under 16, except for medical or religious reasons.

Other concerns include the number of qualified doctors in regions with high HIV prevelance who are able to perform the surgery, as well as the dangers of adult circumcision compared with infant.

“Adult male circumcision has a higher risk of adverse effects than infant male circumcision and should be undertaken by trained health workers in safe, adequately equipped and sanitary conditions,” Dr Hankins said.

UNAIDS and WHO have made clear that male circumcision is not a complete protection against HIV, and men who consider circumcision must also continue to use other forms of protection.

UNAIDS estimates around 30 per cent of the male population is circumcised, while between 33 and 46 million people worldwide live with HIV.

Sportsman Profile: Steve Piperno

The final game of the 2006 NAB Under 18 championships gets underway at Princes Park in about an hours time. Eighteen year old Steve Piperno gets out of his car, collects his bag and starts walking around to the rooms. Instead of his bag being filled with shorts, socks and a jumper however, Steve has packed black pants, an orange top, and, most importantly, four white flags.

In a game that is massively important to its playing participants who are desperately trying to get themselves spotted by AFL club recruiters, the same could be said about the umpires involved. For Steve, in his first year on the VFL goal umpiring panel, this is undoubtedly the most important game he has had to umpire.

“It’s hard not to get nervous before really big games like that,” Piperno said. “With such a massive crowd, the television crews, and the attention of all the AFL recruiters it’s a real buzz.”

Steve took up goal umpiring during the 2003 season, after a friend who was already involved explained how much money could be made from goal umpiring just one game. A few phone calls later, and Steve was a member of the Victorian Amateur Football Association goal umpires group.

“It was always something I’d been interested in trying, and I’d been wanting to become involved with footy again for a while,” he said. “I made a few phone calls, and a week later I was goal umpiring my first game.”

Steve said he enjoyed the experience of umpiring at a local level, including the training and social events that go with it – especially in a large local league like the Amateurs.

“Umpiring at the VAFA was great fun,” he said. “It’s a really relaxed and friendly atmosphere off the field.”

In 2005, Steve’s final year at the VAFA, he achieved a feat incredibly uncommon for someone of his age (just 17 at the time), by being awarded the A grade Grand Final over many older umpires with greater experience. Steve considers this achievement something that has helped him deal with the pressures of moving up to the next level in terms of goal umpiring.

“If I hadn’t done the A grade Grand Final last year, I probably would have gone into the VFL without any really big match experience,” he explained. “The pressure of such an important game was a great experience leading into the VFL.”

When comparing the two organisations, Steve said that he found several distinct differences in several areas.

“The demands on umpires are much less at the VAFA, which allows for a much more relaxed and friendly environment,” he said. “The VFL is a bit more professional, promoting different goals for its umpires like commitment and success, which means that some enjoyment is lost due to their being less of a social environment.”

“Coming from a local league like the Amateurs to a bigger organisation like the VFL is a big jump, much like starting at a new school,” Steve explained. “You have to find your feet and try to prove yourself while umpiring with a more developed and experienced panel of umpires.”

Like most umpires who have made the VFL panel, Steve has aspirations of taking his umpiring to higher levels, and ultimately, the AFL, although he understands the hard work it will take in order for him to achieve such a goal.

“Umpiring is just like any sport you might play,” he explained. “It’s incredibly competitive and takes hard work, dedication, and the right attitude to succeed.”

The VFL, as such a high profile league, takes its umpiring very seriously, which includes umpires being watched and coached on match day.

“The scrutiny of match day performances of umpires is drastically more than what is experienced at local level,” Steve explained. “It’s unusual to have a game where there isn’t a coach watching, and I’ve had my games taped and reviewed three times so far.”

Surprisingly for many, another aspect of goal umpiring that can be a hurdle for some is the physical aspect of training, which at the VFL can include time trials, beep tests, and skin fold tests.

“I was really surprised at the running and training that we had to do, even at the VAFA,” Steve said. “Every week at training requires really hard efforts.”

Outside of umpiring, Steve, who finished year 12 last year with an ENTER score in the top four percent of the state, decided to defer his course at Melbourne University to accept a traineeship through the AFL Sports Ready program in the AFL administration in a role as Assistant to the Senior Accountant.

As the season draws to a close, umpires, like players, are fighting hard on and off the field to remain in the game for a chance at September action. In his first year on the VFL panel, and still in the running for the TAC Cup Grand Final, Steve Piperno is working as hard as any other.