The parents of these kids have no additional funds or energy to put into the school. Many public schools still rely on the goodwill and sacrifice of class teachers who not only have to manage class behaviour, students’ rough home lives, and still teach. Private schools have more resources and time and money to cultivate kids’ confidence, opinions and hobbies because the parents have these things too. I have mentored students who are brilliant from all walks of life, and I believe they all deserve an equal chance at fulfilling their dreams.īut the sad reality is, if you can navigate the world with ease and confidence, more doors open. I have visited schools that are probably modelled on the ethos and architecture of Eton, and I have visited schools where 400 Year 12s sit on the floor for my talks on a thirty degree day. It is definitely and undoubtedly still unequal. Do you think that Australia’s education system is still very hierarchical and class-based? So things have changed for the better in that we can now commonly identify what needs to be fixed (whereas in the past it was all on ‘Lucy’s’ shoulders), but Laurinda is still a pretty universal tale of high school suffering that transcends race and class.Ī lot of Laurinda is about the difficulties of being a scholarship student in an elite school and navigating that social division. However, I still have students tell me all the time, how much they can relate to this book.
Now, a decade after I first put literal pen to paper, we have a whole language to describe structural inequality, racism, privilege and micro-aggressions. For example, moments where I wondered whether I was just too serious, had no sense of humour or couldn’t take a joke. When I started writing Laurinda a decade ago, I wanted to capture some unsettling experiences from high school (I went to five different high schools, and I’ve visited hundreds more as an author). How do you feel about it now and has this changed since it was first published? It even inspired a book of short stories and has been studied by countless high school students.
It’s been nearly eight years since Laurinda was first published. We interviewed the author, Alice Pung, about her novel, the societal issues that it raises, and her response to the play. We are delighted that one of our favourite young adult novels, Laurinda, has recently been adapted for the stage by Melbourne Theatre Company.
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