A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

“Deputy Prime Minister Gillard’s comments on school funding are a breath of fresh air” said Chris Watt, Federal Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia.

“The IEUA has long supported the need to reform the current federal government funding arrangements,” he said.

“The IEUA believes that where need exists and is identified in schools, irrespective of whether they are government or non-government schools, that need should be met” said Mr Watt.

“The previous federal government’s approach to the funding of schools was not transparent and has produced a system which is seen by most as unfair and inequitable” said Mr Watt “and it is a tragedy that a proper and open review was not conducted by the Howard government in 2007”.

“Deputy Prime Minister Gillard’s commitment to not only a review of the funding arrangements but a recognition that many schools, government and non-government, have special funding needs such as socio-economic status of the students and their families, disadvantaged areas, indigenous communities and rural and remote areas and these deserve additional support” he said.

“The IEUA believes that the real cost of educating our students should be the basis of funding and a commitment to the use of measures such as those of the Productivity Commission, rather than the irrelevant AGSRC, would be a logical and sensible step.”

“Essentially, the goal of the review announced by the Deputy Prime Minister should be to ensure that Australia’s education systems are comprehensive and properly resourced so that the MCEETYA Goals of Schooling are met, no matter where students live or which school they go to.”

“While teachers and students are being required to demonstrate they are meeting high benchmark standards of teaching and learning, governments must be able to demonstrate that the level of resources going to schools meet international benchmarks.  We look forward to Labor establishing a transparent review of Commonwealth funding in order to give clarity as to what is actually happening in school funding in all sectors” said Mr Watt.

“The IEUA is keen to see the distracting divisions that have punctuated the school funding debate put aside to deliver better levels of resources for all students” he said.

Contact:

Chris Watt

Federal Secretary Independent Education Union

Ph        (03) 9254 1830                    0419 259 143