<blockquote rel="appledeuce"><blockquote rel="quesoboy">Hi @gmad06,
Since you're on the topic of schools, what does the section number mean? I just referred to the list and found that my school is section 1. How does it play into your application?
Hope you can help me understand this.
Thanks!</blockquote>
Hi @quesoboy,
The Australian government has Country Education Profiles where they basically, well, 'profile' (lol) or check an educational qualification acquired outside of Australia and determine its equivalent qualification in the Australian Qualification Framework based on a number of factors (quality of education, etc). For example, a bachelor degree obtained in the Philippines may not necessarily be considered as equivalent to a bachelor degree in Australia. That's where the sectioning of schools comes in. Schools in section 1 are considered the 'best' in terms of the quality of education, if you will, so if you obtain a bachelor degree in a Section 1 school, your qualification will normally be considered as a bachelor degree equivalent in Australian standards (AQF). If you are a Section 2 bachelor degree graduate, it's quite possible that your bachelor degree will only be considered a 'certificate', or less than a bachelor degree, or your 5-year bachelor degree will only be equivalent to a 4-year bachelor degree in Australia. Section 3 are usually up-and-coming or lesser-known schools who have yet to establish that they provide high quality education, I suppose.
Parang sa pera, since mataas ang value ng currency nila, yung medyo malaking halaga sa atin, is barya lang pagdating sa kanila. Sorry about the dumb analogy, but you get the comparison. Haha. 🙂
Now where does it play in our application? In points based general skilled migration assessments, you get points based on your qualification (20 for doctorate, 15 for bachelors/masters, 10 for Australian diploma equivalent). So if you have a bachelor degree from a Philippine college/uni, you will assume that you can claim 15 points. However, as explained (loosely) above, this may not always be the case, as it is possible that your bachelor degree may be only equivalent to an Australian diploma, in which case, you are only going to get 10 points.
Moreover, it may also be a factor for when you get your skills/work experience assessed by the relevant assessing body. For example:
IT professional 1 has a 4-year bachelor degree in IT from a section 1 school, and has 5 years experience
IT professional 2 has a 4-year bachelor degree in IT from a section 3 school and has 5 years experience
Pwedeng sabihin ni assessing body (ACS) na ITP1 can claim for 5 years of work experience, pero si ITP2 can only claim 3 years of work experience (I guess parang sinasabi nila yung other 2 years na work experience ni ITP2 is considered as years in school pa). In other words, ITP1's 4-year degree is equivalent to ITP2's 4-year degree PLUS 2 years of work experience, since mas mataas ang quality of education ng school ni ITP1.
Sorry, nagmamarunong lang. =))</blockquote>
@quesoboy sorry for the late reply, but I guess everything has been said by @appledeuce and I fully support her opinion above. Sa madaling salita, if you refer to the profile of your school based on OZ standards, you will be able to foresee what is most likely your outcome for skills and edu assessment. This affects your years of experience and the band you should aim for IELTS as well.
sana nakatulong kami...