Education in Tasmania

The education system in Tasmania comprises two tertiary education institutions; the government run K-12 schooling system, and numerous independent private schools and colleges, most of which are controlled or sponsored by religious organisations. Public education in Tasmania is managed primarily by the State Government's Department of Education. The Department is responsible for all aspects of education in Tasmania including schooling, Adult Education, the State Library and TasTAFE, a vocational tertiary institution with many campuses around the state.See Education in Australia for an overview of the national system.HistoryThe oldest tertiary institution to be founded in Australia was the theological school Christ College in Bishopsbourne, Tasmania, in 1846. Today Christ College is a residential college of the University of Tasmania, which was founded in 1890, making the university the fourth oldest in the country.In 1868 Tasmania became the first state to introduce compulsory education. In 1885 the Tasmanian Department of Education was founded under the Education Act 1885 (Tas), the fifth Australian colony to do so. In 1908 school fees for compulsory education were abolished, the last state to do so.Primary educationUnlike all other Australian states, primary and secondary education in Tasmania is a three-tiered system, instead of a two-tiered system. School are broken up into Primary, High school and College components. Students begin their first year of school (preparatory) in the year the child will turn six years of age. They spend seven years in primary school before progressing to secondary education, like other states.