Our work, vision, and values: Department of Education

Overview of what we do, our vision, and how we work.

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What we do

We lead the delivery of education and development services to children, young people and adults both:

  • directly through government schools
  • indirectly through the regulation and funding of early childhood services, non-government schools and training programs.

We implement Victorian government policy on early childhood services, school education and training and higher education services. We also manage Victorian government schools and drive improvement in primary and secondary government education.

Our vision

"A great education for every child and young person – so they can thrive now, and in the future, for a fairer, smarter, and more prosperous state."

Education is both fundamental to the development of individuals and families and to building a strong society that has better health outcomes, greater social mobility, and strong economic growth, productivity and employment.

We have a key role in shaping the lives of Victorians and the future of the state.

We support Victorians to reach their potential, regardless of their background, postcode or circumstance, and to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to participate and thrive in a complex economy and society.

We do this by:

  • ensuring Victorians have equitable access to quality education and training
  • working with providers and partners to build an integrated birth to adulthood education and development system
  • supporting children, young people and adults with well-coordinated universal and targeted services close to where they live
  • promoting excellence, innovation and economic growth.

The goals we set, the changes we implement, the systems we support, and the services we offer are all focused on improving outcomes and opportunities for Victorians and supporting them to build happy, healthy and rewarding lives.

Our principles

We use the following principles to guide how we work, build relationships, make decisions, support staff and serve the public:

  • we are accountable
  • we work with integrity, transparency and impartiality
  • we use evidence to make decisions
  • we are responsive to the needs of Victorians
  • we deliver high-quality advice and services
  • we have the capabilities and skills to achieve our priorities.

Our values

Education is a critical public service. As public sector employees, our staff in schools and offices uphold the Victorian public sector values:

  • integrity
  • responsiveness
  • impartiality
  • accountability
  • respect
  • leadership
  • a commitment to human rights.

Department employees are required to demonstrate the values by the Code of conduct for Victorian public sector employees

Our leaders' commitment to Victorians

Our leaders are committed to working with our staff and partners to deliver our vision for Victorians.

Our leadership charter demonstrates our executives' shared commitment to strong, ethical and authentic leadership. The charter makes clear to Victorians that our leaders will:

Education

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