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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (24 September) . . Page.. 3251 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

As can be seen, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, this paper has eight proposed - and I stress the word "proposed" - strategies for policy development and delivery in literacy teaching and learning in our schools. For the enlightenment of members here, those strategies are, firstly, all schools developing a literacy plan which is available to the community as an integral part of the school development plan. It goes on to suggest that the plan will have certain characteristics. I will not go through all of them, but included there is the use of " ... teaching strategies" which are inclusive of all social and cultural groups.

The second strategy is identifying senior teaching positions to be available to work with schools to design, implement and monitor the literacy learning outcomes of the school's literacy plan. The third is identifying someone to oversight the school's literacy program and assist with strategies to be developed at the classroom level. The fourth is setting a specific period of time for key skill development in literacy. The fifth is quarantining some learning assistance resources to allow an extra resource person to work within each cluster of schools to monitor the implementation and modelling of effective practice in the classroom. This strategy will use data obtained from the ACT literacy assessment program. The sixth strategy is a review of learning assistance resource distribution to take place; and the seventh is providing parent tutor training programs. For "parent" read whoever is looking after the child at home. Finally, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, the paper proposes that the ACT Council of P and C Associations be funded to develop a publication for parents - again read people who are caring for the children at home - that will provide advice to assist in developing the child's literacy skills at home.

Ms McRae has urged that a new chapter be added to this current discussion paper to include, effectively, the needs of children who do not live with their natural parents. I had a quick discussion about this with Ms McRae last week or the last time we were sitting, and I accept that that could have been better written. It could have said "parents, guardians and carers". I know that a lot of notes that go home from school usually say "parents and guardians"; but anyone reading that should quite clearly understand that "parent" means, in the wider sense, whoever is responsible for looking after the child at home, whether it be a guardian or a carer, or whether the child is living with an uncle, aunt or grandma. The child might be living with some friends, if it is an older student, or with an older brother or sister. Also, the very name "P and C" surely does not mean only parents. It means parents and whoever is really caring for the child. Perhaps that is being a little too pedantic and not giving people credit for using their intelligence and their appreciation of the fact that, obviously, "parent" means whoever is looking after the child. I wonder whether we really need a new chapter to stress that.

I would refer Ms McRae to chapter 6, which relates to the involvement of parents and the community - it does say that -and which highlights the need for parents, schools and the community to work closely together. When we say "parents", we refer to anyone responsible for children. I would have thought that that was clear. Ms McRae wrote a good article last week for the education supplement, which I have responded to. I stressed the point that, if there is any confusion, "parent" means just that - it has to be read as carer, guardian or really anyone responsible for children. I understand that will be in next week's education supplement in the Canberra Times.

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