Page 4388 - Week 15 - Wednesday, 21 November 1990
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that size of school is a factor in excellence. From personal experience and observation I venture a generalisation that the larger an educational institution, the more impersonal it becomes. This may not matter in the case of the University of California. It may not be crucial in the case of a large College for students in Years Eleven and Twelve ... Size is critical, however, in the pre-school and primary school years.
I discussed that and I raised the question:
How "small" should such a school be? I have seen Montessori schools with less than one hundred students. If we consider the range of country schools in rural Australia we might regard one hundred as a relatively large school. Certainly anything over two hundred is already beginning to reach an uncomfortable level of over-size. Yet we are in the business of trying to close schools some of which are closer to two hundred and fifty. This needs the most careful and thoughtful examination. This has not been provided by the Division of Education.
That was my view to Mr Hudson. In a sense, option C which he presented in the inquiry report, took that on board. I am not saying that he took my comments on board, but what he took on board was the kind of analysis of the size of schools, and I wish the word "small" was never used. I think one can rightly say "smaller" and "larger" or less well endowed or better endowed, financially less expensive, financially more expensive. One really cannot talk about "small", because what is a school of 10 students? However, be that as it may, I am somewhat hung up on that. Mr Hudson then addressed himself to about 30 schools, and I think that would be fair. Why should he have looked at all the schools? He looked at about 30. Could I request an extension of time?
Mr Moore: No. We have to vote and I have not spoken, Hector. Come on, I have only three minutes as it is.
MR SPEAKER: I call Mr Moore.
MR MOORE (12.20): I am limited to about three minutes. It is interesting that Dr Kinloch should raise the issue of misinformation being brought into the joint party room. It is also interesting that the Estimates Committee raised the issue of misinformation with reference to schools as well. The same people were advising Mr Hudson; so it seems to me quite clear that the Hudson report also is based on a lack of accurate information and therefore can be questioned on exactly the same basis. This issue of closing four schools still has the same questions hanging over it.
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