A survey, by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), which manages the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in Australia, found in 2015 a total of 54% of 15-year-old students were aiming for a university degree. Around 3% were aiming for a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) diploma. This was down from 2003, when 63% planned to go to university, and 8% planned to do a TAFE diploma.

A decline in students’ expectations of a university degree may not be cause for alarm. Instead, it may reflect expanding opportunities in other qualification areas, such as apprenticeships(学徒) and other forms of occupational education. The decline in those students expecting to do a TAFE diploma may reflect fewer offerings in the TAFE department. What’s alarming is the noticeable difference that remains between different groups of students. In particular, those related to disadvantage such as low socioeconomic background and rurality.

Having different expectations for future education can impact students’ current experiences of education, influence their motivation, behaviour and achievement at school now. For example, students who know they won’t be able to afford to move out of home to go to their chosen university may decide, consciously or not, to not put so much effort into their schoolwork if they can get into a different course at a local TAFE that requires a lower ATAR(大学入学指数). For young people, expectations for further study can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy(预言). Those expecting to leave school early are more likely to do so. Students who expect to attend university are more likely to do so, and so gain access to improved social and labour markets outcomes. These include increased health and life expectancy, higher incomes and greater levels of wellbeing — the ＂health, wealth and happiness＂.

Not only are there differences in their access to and opportunity for further study, the survey highlights the range of their expectations, and what that might represent for their future. Further comparison of the educational expectations of various groups of students show some worrying patterns related to disadvantages.

Many small-business owners watched recent revelations about Facebook with mixed emotions. Like most Americans, they were surprised to discover how much information the social media giant collected on its users. But when it comes to small business, Facebook is a transformative advertising platform for small businesses, not easy to replace.

Let's say you own a small seafood restaurant, and Tuesday nights are $1 oyster （牡蛎）nights. Traditional advertising methods cost a lot and must be planned long in advance, and ifs hit-or-miss as to whether you actually get in front of oyster eaters. With Facebook, on Tuesday morning, with a few clicks, you can target Facebook users in your Zip code who love oysters and eating out （and are over age 21, so they can buy drinks, which is why you have $1 oyster nights）. And you can do this for as little as S20.

In my work with small businesses for more than 25 years, I've never seen a more effective method of micro-targeting prospects. Though Facebook is an effective tool for small-business, advertising does not justify （证明合理）the company's collecting vast amounts of data or allowing users' data to be invaded.

"Our primary concern was people's experience on Facebook," said Dan Levy, Facebook's Vice President. "Our teams have also been speaking to small businesses, and they want to make sure we're addressing the situation, and we are."

One concern small businesses want Facebook to address is protecting their uploaded lists. No one wants their customers' information misused or accessed by others, especially competitors.

Small-business owners are rightfully concerned about privacy. They don't want Facebook to know everything about them, and they don't want their customer lists to be let out to others.

But small businesses don't want to lose this effective advertising medium, either. Most Facebook ads are not invasive or offensive. And many receivers may actually benefit from receiving highly targeted ads—after all, those oyster lovers like learning about Tuesday night— $1 oyster night.

More affordable electricity would transform Africa.

It's no surprise that economies around the world need electricity for economic growth and job creation — not just for keeping the lights on. But Liberia, a West African nation of 4 million people, has installed electricity of just 126 megawatts.【小题1】If this isn't bad enough, Liberians pay more than three times the average rate for electricity than Americans. This lack of affordable energy dooms the country to poverty and unemployment.

Liberia is not alone. In fact, systemic power problems are chronic across Africa: Nearly every economy on the continent is constrained by energy gaps and high costs.

Africa's power future has largely been framed around access. People who rely on wood or kerosene for lighting and heat all deserve to have electricity at home, whether it is delivered through the national grid or by new off-grid home systems. But power for lighting and basic appliances is not enough.【小题2】

That's why all countries need energy for growth. In addition to access, availability is necessary. If Africa's economies are going to create jobs for the 12 million young people who enter the job market every year. The majority of the world's electricity is used, not in homes, but on farms, in factories, mines and office buildings. 【小题3】 The energy systems being deployed today across Africa must be large enough to support economic growth and competitiveness.

Affordability is a third big issue.【小题4】We need to find ways of making energy available to low-income consumers while also ensuring that the markets encourage long-term investment in the power sector. Cost is crucial to the competitiveness of business, especially in energy-intensive industries, like steel or concrete, or those that depend on uninterrupted supply, such as banking, cold storage and IT.

If the aim of Africans is, like everyone else on the planet, to permanently escape poverty and achieve prosperity, then every country needs energy for growth.