Ararat High School Basketball Team, circa 1915.
Source: Museum Victoria
Celebrating 100 years of state secondary education in Victoria.
Education Week (15-21 May) launched on Sunday at Melbourne Museum, with a range of family activities and workshops.
Victoria’s first state secondary school, Melbourne Continuation School, opened in 1905. Branded a ‘godless’ institution by critics, the school faced strong opposition from private schools, who, along with their allies in parliament, tried to prevent the school from opening.
What the Continuation school actually represented was a great leap forward for Victorian education. For the first time, young Victorians from all walks of life had access to quality, secular, free education. Beginning with just 203 students (135 girls and 68 boys), the school thrived, going on to become Melbourne High School and Mac.Robertson Girl’s High School.
Several more state secondary schools based on the Melbourne Continuation model were established in its wake, and by 1910 there were 10 government secondary schools, with 52 teachers and approximately 1300 students.
These humble beginnings were to give rise to the extensive public education system of today. Victoria now has 1617 government schools, with more than 500,000 students–over two-thirds of the state’s secondary population.
Museum Victoria has an extensive collection of historical images of early state schools, which can be accessed via the Biggest Family Album.