Written by Australian Education Union Monday, 15 September 2008 07:55
NATIONAL TESTING RESULTS DEMONSTRATE NEED FOR FURTHER PUBLIC SCHOOLS RESOURCING
Public schools need significant additional funding from the Federal Government to address areas of need identified by the results of national testing of Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students, released today.
Australian Education Union Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said attention must now focus on assisting those children who are not meeting minimum standards.
“We welcome the fact that the overwhelming majority of students are meeting or exceeding minimum standards,” said Mr. Gavrielatos.
“But the question for everyone today is what are we going to do to assist those children who are not meeting minimum standards?
“How are we going to make sure their schools have the resources they need to give struggling children more individual attention, specialist literacy and numeracy programs, and early intervention?
“Governments must properly resource and support schools and teachers to lift overall student performance and ensure no child is left behind.
“The latest OECD figures rank Australia second last in terms of direct public expenditure on public education.
“Work already undertaken for MCEETYA shows that our public schools are underfunded to the tune of $2.9 billion per annum.”
Troy Buswell and the State Government have appointed a former Howard Government industrial relations advocate to review Western Australian workplace laws and will soon announce changes that could affect up to 300,000 Western Australian workers.
Public schools are a foundation stone of our society. They are places of learning, of inspiration and opportunity where every Australian child can get the education they deserve. It's the key to a strong economy, a skilled workforce and a socially cohesive society.
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Public education should be free and open to all to ensure non-selective and non-discriminatory access to education. Every child has a right to be educated, to develop as a human being. This capability should not be denied to anyone, either by design or neglect.
