Melbourne Story - 3. Education in Australia

3. Education in Australia

Two months after I immigrated to Australia, our family experienced its first piece of good news.My eldest daughter, who had graduated from Year 12 in Korea, came to Australia that same year and entered Year 11 at a local high school. After just one year and nine months, she was accepted into the University of Melbourne’s Landscape Architecture program, which is often regarded as one of the best universities in Australia and ranked around 24th in the world.

Because I had only recently arrived in Australia, the fact that my daughter had entered university did not feel entirely real to me, even though I was pleased. Her mother, however, was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. She was deeply thankful that our daughter had managed to achieve this without any private tutoring, studying quietly at home all those years. Many people in the Korean community were also surprised that she had entered university after such a short period. In Australia as well, private tutoring and essay coaching can be very expensive, and education costs are far from modest.

At the time, tuition fees for permanent residents were about AUD 3,000 per semester, while international students paid around AUD 13,000. Australian citizens are eligible for a system called HECS, which allows university tuition fees to be deferred. Under this system, the government pays the tuition upfront, and graduates begin repaying the amount through the tax system once they secure employment and their income exceeds a certain threshold. Repayment begins when annual income reaches approximately AUD 51,550, and if income remains below that level, the repayment amount is zero.

Before my daughter took her entrance exams, this HECS system was also available to permanent residents. However, it was later restricted to citizens only, reportedly because some permanent residents returned to their home countries after graduation, making repayment difficult. At the time, we were not yet citizens, so we had to pay the tuition fees upfront. We were told, however, that once we obtained citizenship in September, we would become eligible for HECS and the tuition already paid in advance would be refunded. Australian citizenship can be applied for only after three years of holding permanent residency.

There is even an anecdote about male graduates who used the HECS system: once they find a job and get married, the monthly repayments deducted from their salary can become a source of stress for their wives.

One particularly striking aspect of education in Australia is the level of care and policy support provided for people with disabilities. Rather than viewing them solely through the lens of sympathy or pity, Australian society emphasizes that people with disabilities also possess strengths and talents. For those with milder disabilities, the government works to create conditions that allow them to live independently and achieve economic self-sufficiency. Education for parents of children with disabilities is also systematic and well structured.

Disability awareness and inclusion education here is not merely symbolic or formal. It is practical and deeply embedded in everyday life, which many say sets Australia apart from other countries. While there is public dissatisfaction with the high tax rates imposed on general income, it is hard not to be impressed when one sees how a significant portion of that revenue is directed toward supporting people with disabilities and their caregivers.

3. 호주에서의 교육

내가 이민 온 지 두 달이 되었을 때 우리 가정에 첫 경사가 있었다. 큰딸이 한국에서 고3을 졸업한 뒤 그해 이곳에 와서 고등학교 2학년부터 다녔는데, 1년 9개월 만에 호주에서 가장 좋다고 하는 멜번대(세계 랭킹 24위라고 함) 조경학과에 합격한 것이다.

사실 나는 이곳에 온 지 얼마 되지 않아 딸이 대학에 들어갔다고 해도 기쁘기는 했지만 실감이 잘 나지 않았다. 그러나 아이 엄마는 그동안 과외 한 번 하지 않고 집에서만 공부해 온 딸에 대해 너무 고맙고 기쁘기 그지없다고 했다. 이곳에서도 일부 교민들은 1년 9개월 만에 대학에 들어간 것에 대해 놀라워했고, 호주 역시 과외나 논술을 하다 보면 교육비가 만만치 않은 곳이다.

당시 영주권자의 입학금은 한 분기에 약 3천 불 정도였는데 유학생은 약 1만 3천 불 정도였다. 대학 4년 동안 시민권자에게는 헥스라는 제도, 즉 대학 비용을 유예해 주는 제도가 있어 이를 이용하면 나중에 본인이 일자리를 확보했을 때 급여에서 매달 일정 금액이 정산된다. 학비를 정부가 대신 내주고 졸업 후 소득이 일정 수준 이상이 되면 소득 연동 방식으로 자동 상환되는데, 연소득 약 51,550불 이상부터 상환이 시작된다. 다만 소득이 낮으면 상환액은 0불이 된다.

딸이 시험을 보기 전까지는 이 제도가 영주권자에게도 주어졌지만, 일부 영주권자 대학 졸업자들이 자기 나라로 돌아가 상환이 어려워지는 경우가 있었는지 이후부터는 시민권자에게만 주어진다고 했다. 우리는 아직 시민권자가 아니어서 당시에는 비용을 일시불로 내야 했지만, 9월에 시민권을 획득하면 헥스 제도를 이용할 수 있고 그때 가서 일시불로 낸 학비를 반환해 준다고 했다. 시민권은 영주권 취득 후 3년이 지나야 가능하다.

일화로는 남자 대학생이 헥스 제도를 이용해 졸업한 뒤 직장을 갖고 결혼하면 급여에서 일정 금액이 매달 상환되기 때문에 부인이 스트레스를 받는다는 이야기도 있다.

호주에서의 교육 중 특별한 점 한 가지는 장애인에 대한 교육이 세심하고 정부의 정책적 배려가 깊다는 것이다. 장애인을 단지 동정과 연민의 대상으로만 보지 않고 그들에게도 장점과 재능이 있음을 알려 준다. 살아가면서 장애가 경한 사람에게는 홀로 설 수 있는 경제적 환경을 조성해 주며, 장애인 부모에 대한 교육 또한 체계적이다. 장애 인식과 이해 교육은 형식적인 수준이 아니라 실제적인 교육으로 이루어져 다른 나라와 많은 차이를 보인다고들 말한다. 실제로 일반인들의 소득에 대해 높은 세율을 징구하는 데 대한 불만도 있지만, 그로 인한 재정 수입이 장애인과 장애인 보조자들에게 상당 부분 돌아간다는 점을 보면 실로 놀라지 않을 수 없다.