Page 3634 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 16 October 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR MOORE (3.36): Mr Speaker, it is clear that Mr Humphries' temperature is up by the amount of hot air that was just flowing. I will start by quoting from page 64 of the OECD document, Surplus space in schools - An opportunity, because, of course, Mr Humphries has - - -
Mr Duby: Oh no, not this again. No, not the OECD report.
MR MOORE: We hear from the interjection that Mr Duby is reluctant to accept anything from the OECD report. But, since the subject matter was raised by Mr Humphries, I will quote from page 64:
The purpose of evaluation (of educational building stock) is to estimate the value of the stock for meeting current, and even more important, future needs. This value cannot be expressed in financial terms alone. To be useful, it will need to be assessed in terms of a number of indicators of quantity and types of accommodation, suitability for the purposes served, physical condition and remodelling potential, energy demand and other aspects of running costs, and finally -
and I add, most importantly -
the value to the community.
The government education system in the ACT has been structured around parental involvement. For the first decade and a half of its operation it referred to parents as partners. A shift in structure over the past few years has brought about a ministry based on bureaucratic decision making where parents are now recognised with students as being the ministry's clients.
With such a shift in power, it is no wonder that the totally inadequate consultation process was about finding a way to achieve goals set by public servants rather than seeking methods of resolving some of the problems which they identified. The result of the lack of appropriate consultation is far broader than the political flak which has resulted from this round of proposed school closures.
What the Minister and his ministry have not come to grips with is why the political fallout has occurred and what it is that motivates parents of public school children and their supporters. The demonstrations staged at the opening of Floriade revealed involvement in the issue from a much broader cross-section of schools than just those affected by this round of closures. It is not enough to say that these parents are just frightened that their turn might come in the next round, or the one after that. Their concern is about the marginalisation of public education. This concern is well-founded, as the public school system in the ACT already has the lowest percentage of participating students of any in Australia. The lower the participation rate, the more likely it is that only those
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .