Page 3556 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 12 October 1994
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In fact, this mission statement about government schooling is relevant to all students in the government schooling system and includes students attending schools with both low enrolments and high enrolments. The whole point of having a government school system is that it equips all students with the necessary skills and expertise to take their places effectively in a changing society. Of course, it is up to each individual school within the government school system also to provide students with these skills and expertise.
Madam Speaker, the issue of the effective management of government school enrolments has become topical, to such an extent that the ACT branch of the Australian Education Union, in its September newsletter, identified five points that it wanted adopted as policy. The five points that it recommended were:
1. That developing management strategies for school enrolment is a system responsibility.
2. That an in principle decision be made by the Department that maximum core enrolment in schools should be for primary 500 students and for secondary 800 students.
3. That these core enrolments will have to accommodate movement generated via demographic, town planning and other factors such as school amalgamations over time.
4. That the Department carry out its management strategies with advice from a Joint Policy Committee with Union, Departmental and parental representation. This Committee should have responsibility for development, implementing and monitoring of policies covering Priority Enrolment Areas, transport issues, capacity issues, holding arrangements, exemptions and appeals processes and other issues related to Enrolment Policy.
5. That the Department develop, in conjunction with individual schools, parents and the Union, a comprehensive strategy for promoting the ACT public education system. This to include publications that articulate not only the system philosophy but also promote the schools within the system to the ACT community.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased that the Department of Education has agreed, in line with the recommendations of the Australian Education Union, to establish a committee to address this issue. I also understand that the union has arranged a time in November to meet with the Minister for Education, Mr Wood, to discuss this issue and other issues. The Government has the opportunity now to address this issue, as it has had numerous opportunities in the past to address the issue.
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