Kids on campus - pathways to the future
The University of Newcastle will today host a group of Year 6 students and their parents from the Kurri district as part of a program that inspires young children to think about their futures.
The Making Educational Goals Sustainable (MEGS) initiative aims to promote education amongst students from targeted equity groups.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Kevin McConkey, said the objective was to offer a taste of university life to young students who might not usually consider higher education an option.
"The students targeted by the MEGS program are typically from lower socio-economic or disadvantaged backgrounds who we know probably do not currently aspire to a university education," Professor McConkey said.
"A key aim is to generate enthusiasm for education and demonstrate that university is a real possibility for them in the future, not something distant that happens to other people.
"We want to increase the expectations of both the students and their parents about their futures and the possibilities can be realities."
The initiative is a partnership between the NSW Department of Education and Training and the University's Equity and Diversity Unit.
Primary schools attending include Kurri Kurri, Pelaw Main, Weston and Mulbring.