Inquiry into Geographical Differences in the Rate in which Victorian Students Participate in Higher Education

Online Submission

28/04/08

Miss Jenna Lockett, Year 11 Student, Secondary College

My name is Jenna Lockett; I live in a small community of over two hundred people called Underbool which is situated in the northern part of . I live in the small town with my mother and father; I do have an older sister who is now living in Bendigo going to La Trobe University.

I am a student currently attending Ouyen Secondary College; every school day it starts me with getting up at seven o’clock each morning and then getting on a bus at quarter to eight and travelling 50 kilometers to school. At the end of the day I don’t get out of school until quarter past three and travel back home where I don’t get back to Underbool until four o’clock.

Ouyen Secondary College is a country school situated in Ouyen and has a population of about 160 students and 22 teachers. The school is made up of four small towns (Ouyen, Underbool, and Tempy) and other small communities in the area.

I’m studying year 11 at the moment where my school work consists of six different subjects, English and Maths (Advanced or Standed) and four other subjects that are chosen by the student’s interests. Ouyen SC is a good school even though it is small it does have it advantages, the teachers are willing to help and make sure their students do the best they can in there education.

I am wishing to follow a career in photography or graphic design, I am hoping to go to uni and study but im still not sure which uni I am wishing to go to. There are many students that would like to go to university or TAFE or get an apprenticeship, but for many that live in an area that is too far away or is isolated from any type of uni or TAFE. The closet TAFE and uni that’s in my area is located in , it is 100 kilometers from Ouyen but it is 150 kilometers from Underbool. If I want to go to a uni in Bendigo I would have to travel over 350 kilometers and that is a long way from where I live, but I am still not sure where I really want to go at this moment.

There are a few disadvantages with the area that I live in, but there are also some advantages as well. With the disadvantages it is hard to get apprenticeships as to travel and that we live in small communities. An advantage is being in a small school, it’s great as you can have one on one with teachers and they make sure that you get the best out of your education.

I think it is hard for students that won’t to go to uni as many live to far away to travel and there aren’t as many resources that could help students, like me, that get into uni; for many the ENTER scores are to high for students get into uni.

Jenna Lockett