eduPass has been put on hold after burning through its initial $2.6 million budget. According to reporting by the Herald Sun, auditors have now been called in to investigate the “severe financial mismanagement” of the project, which was first scheduled for completion in 2015. The Herald Sun has cited ‘leaked departmental documents’ that show only 27 per cent of the project has been completed with its entire budget gone, despite first estimates putting the cost of eduPass at just $1.6 million. The independent audit has thus far recommended additional funding is needed to complete the job, which could bring the bill up to $4 million. “Additional funding was required, as the complexity and scope of the project expanded,” Education Department spokesperson Steve Tolley told the Herald Sun. “The increased cost will be absorbed internally.” The events follow on the misguided Ultranet initiative, which was scrapped in 2013 after $240 million had been invested into the failed project.]]>
Rethinking the role of the teacher in an AI world
In this special feature, Education Matters explores how AI is transforming assessment, pedagogy and wellbeing in Australian schools through insights...
