1Where's the biggest school in the world? In China? In India? The USA? Actually, none of these. It's probably in Australia, and it's called the Alice Springs School of the Air (ASSOA). There are only 120 students and 14 teachers in this huge school, but they live in different places over an area of 1.2 million square kilometres in Australia. In fact, the furthest student lives over a thousand kilometres from the school centre in Alice Springs.
2Providing education to school children aged 4 to 12, who live in distant communities and on isolated farms on the Australian continent was always going to be a challenge. This area, known as the Outback, is mostly a hostile desert environment, and it is twice the size of California. However, in 1946, Adelaide Miethke, who was working with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), noticed how parents in the Outback all taught their children how to use the RFDS radio. She quickly realised that there might be other uses for this network. In 1948, the first school lessons went out over the radio, and in 1951, the School of the Air officially began.
3So how does it work? Well, students generally have one lesson of 30-45 minutes a day with their teacher. The rest of the time they work at home with their schoolbooks, supervised by an adult, usually one of their parents. In the beginning, the lessons took place over the radio. New technology has clearly changed that, but the Australian Outback presents some unique challenges. The phone system was upgraded in the 1990s but, because of the huge distances it has to cover, the system uses microwave technology, which does not support broadband. More recently, a satellite system has been brought in, allowing the school and students to connect using the internet. So students can now see as well as hear their teachers and classmates.
4It's important that students feel a sense of community. For many students ASSOA may provide the first opportunity they have to socialise with other children their own age. The sense of community is initially created through a 'home visit'. Each child's teacher will travel out to visit the child in his or her home. This gives the teacher a chance to see the child's unique situation, and discover more about their abilities and study habits. And it gives the child a chance to get to know their teacher, making future lessons more personal. Also, three or four times a year, students actually make a trip to Alice Springs for a week-long programme of activities, both educational and fun.
5Surprisingly, ASSOA manages to offer almost every school subject. Reading, writing and maths are the basics, of course. Science is possible, though teachers have to make sure students have access to any necessary equipment and materials. There are a number of music groups. There are even cooking lessons. And the subjects that can be difficult to teach at long distance, like drama, can always be taught when the class gets together in Alice Springs.
6How do these children compare with those who go to traditional schools? Well, they actually have some advantages. The students have a lot of individual help with their learning. They learn how to organise their time and they can learn at their own speed. Studies have shown that the quality of learning is at least as good as in traditional schools, if not better. So, it may be the biggest school in the world, but it also provides high quality education.
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