Rural and Regional Developments in Social Work Higher Education

Abstract

Social work education has traditionally been taught in urban universities in on-campus programs. In the present paper, the author outlines the nature of social work education at Charles Sturt University, a regional Australian university. The author argues that social work education in a rural/regional university is shaped by rural social contextual issues, as well as by changes in the higher education sector. The author notes that social work education fills a significant gap in that it attracts students who are unable to access urban campuses, adds value to rural service delivery, supports rural/regional research, and highlights issues of rural disadvantage. Despite this, the paper argues that rural disadvantage and higher education sector pressures place the delivery of social work education shaped around and responsive to rural social justice issues in regional universities in jeopardy.

Keywords:

• Regional Universities
• Social Work and Higher Education

The figures in this paper were prepared by Natalie Bolzan for the Global Social Work Conference, 2004.

Notes

1. HECS fees are charged to students for their tuition. The fees vary depending on the subjects/courses studied and can be paid up front or deferred until the student is earning an income. The HECS fees were raised by up to 25% in 2005 and represent a substantial cost to students over the lifetime of their course.

2. TAFE (Technical and Further Education) is the education arm providing technical skills training in Australia.