The Department provides education and development services to children, young people and adults both directly through government schools and indirectly through the regulation and funding of early childhood services, non-government schools and training programs.
Our vision
Every Victorian thrives, learns and grows to enjoy a productive, rewarding and fulfilling life, while contributing to their local and global communities.
Our mission
Ensure a high-quality and coherent birth-to-adulthood learning and development system to build the capability of every Victorian.
Key responsibilities
The Department has five main responsibilities:
- provide policy advice to our Ministers about education, early childhood development, children's services, higher education and training in general
- implement Victorian Government policy on early childhood services
- implement Victorian Government policy on school education for all school age students
- implement Victorian Government policy on training and higher education services
- manage and drive continuous improvement in the delivery of primary and secondary education in Victorian government schools.
Outcomes
The Department's key responsibilities inform the following outcomes that the Department strives to achieve within its birth-to-adulthood learning and development agenda:
Children: 0–8 years
- children have the best start in life to achieve optimal health, development and wellbeing
- children acquire the basic skills for life and learning
- all children have access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education in the years before schooling
- high-quality early childhood education and care supports the workforce participation choices of parents with children in the years before formal schooling.
Children: 8-17 years
- all children are engaged in and benefiting from schooling
- children are meeting expected literacy and numeracy standards, and overall levels of literacy and numeracy are improving
- Victorian students excel by national and international standards.
Young people and adults: 17+ years
- young people make a successful transition from school to further education and/or work that provides further training opportunities
- access to high-quality education and training programs for Victorians of all ages.