Dr Phillip Moulds OAM discusses 'equity' in education

Rockhampton school principal Dr Phillip Moulds OAM wants kids to get off Instagram and start watching the news and engaging more with the world around them. 

He is sharing his insights as an accomplished educator and a father, and now Order of Australia Medal recipient, for his service to secondary education in Queensland.  

The Rockhampton Grammar School Headmaster attended an Investiture Ceremony at Government House on November 1, where the Governor, Her Excellency Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, conferred on him the Order of Australia Medal.  

The honour was in recognition of Dr Moulds’s various educational leadership roles, including as Deputy Headmaster of Curriculum and of Planning and Administration at Brisbane Grammar School, as a member of numerous professional organisations and boards including Chair of the Independent Schools Queensland Education Committee, and as a multi-award-winning educator. 

Do you know someone who has made a positive difference, served selflessly, or whose achievements contribute to our collective strength? Nominate them for an Australian Honours or Award here. 

However, Dr Moulds says his award is a tribute to all those who have influenced his life and career, not least his own teachers and mentors.  

“I didn’t know where I wanted to be when I started, but I’m really glad I am where I am,” he says.  

“So the award was recognition of all the wonderful people and support and opportunities I’ve had along the way. Without others, you can’t do anything at all.” 

Dr Moulds also had a message for the graduating class of 2022, of which his own daughter is one. 

“Congratulations. Be thankful for what you’ve given to your school and what you have received. Use your talents and abilities to support others. Good luck for your future and always remain in contact, because those relationships you’ve developed at school will hold you in great stead throughout the rest of your life. 

“Realise that life isn’t Instagram – you’ll always go through ups and some downs. Always be there to help someone who’s going through a down period, and if you’re in a down period ask others to support you. 

“I worry about teenagers who are on social media because people put up what they’re doing, and it might be 10 minutes of the whole day – the only good 10 minutes they’ve had – but then others think that should be their day – 24 hours of the day. They do a comparison and it’s not healthy for anyone I don’t think. 

“Be yourself, live up to the values of your parents, yourself, your community and society, and always strive to be better. We’re humans, we all make mistakes, but we can always get better.” 

Dr Moulds also has some advice for those considering becoming teachers themselves. Again, his daughter is one, planning to complete a Bachelor of Music degree and a postgraduate degree in primary teaching. 

“They actually make a fundamental difference to the lives of the kids they teach," Dr Moulds said.

"Teaching is one of those things that you actually don’t know what a difference you make until many years after you’ve taught those kids.

"Schools aren’t just about one classroom, they’re about what happens to that child throughout that time at school. 

“It's about not only providing them with an academic passport to do what they want to do, whether it be to go to university, commence a trade or go to employment, it’s actually about making them the best people they can be – so they have strong ethical and moral character, they’re using their talents in their capacity to help people other than themselves, that they understand that with opportunity should also come gratitude. 

“You want to be able to read a newspaper online or watch the news and actually have an intelligent conversation about what’s going on in the world.

"You don’t need to necessarily understand financial systems but you do need to understand conversations around, say, climate change, so you can contribute to the dialogue in the community about it."

Dr Moulds says that while there is “a growing recognition of the importance and difference it can make in the lives of our young people growing up”, teaching at its best is: 

“Partnership between parents, schools and students, all working together to get the best outcomes for the next generation.” 

He says more work needs to be done in the area of “equity” and access to education, and that it shouldn’t matter where you go to school. 

“I’ve been a strong advocate for regional and rural education, and as a school we’re doing a lot of work in that Indigenous space. We have a strong partnership with the Cape York Institute, and everything we can do to support students throughout Queensland is really important,” he says. 

“The equity issue and teacher availability is an ongoing challenge. You should get a high-quality educational experience no matter where you are. It’s really something we have to work at because most of the population is situated around the south-east corner of the state. 

“In schools, if we ask the question, what do we want for our own kids and then apply the answer to everyone else’s kids, eventually you get everything right.” 

The Order of Australia is the nation’s pre-eminent awards system, representing the best of what we do across the breadth of who we are. From community volunteers to entrepreneurs, from artists to educators, all Australians are eligible for an Order of Australia award. 

However, it relies on people to nominate someone they feel deserves recognition for their hard work, service, sacrifice and accomplishments, be they colleagues, leaders, peers or neighbours. 

For more information, contact the Office of the Governor-General via their website: Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.