Page 1826 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 7 June 2006
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This government do not walk away and simply close the doors of a school. Instead, we propose to invest in the future of our community to build on a vision of a community that gives children every chance to reach their potential. To renew our education system, to provide a consistent standard of high quality education and to maintain a viable system, we must ensure that government schools provide uniform quality of the highest standard across the territory. This does inevitably mean making very difficult decisions about closing schools in some parts of the territory.
But, and I say it again, the current arrangements are working against the equitable provision of resources throughout the system. What the opposition has failed to acknowledge is that last year this government, under the current legislation, engaged in a comprehensive and ongoing consultation process with affected school communities, and we undertake to do exactly the same thing again. This process will involve eight public meetings that I will be holding later this month.
There will also be ample opportunity, via a dedicated web site, a series of focus groups and meetings with school boards and individual school communities, to further develop and discuss the government’s proposal. There is a range of options for particular regions within the renewing our schools package. I am looking forward to engaging in a debate with members of the community and affected school communities about the benefits of middle schooling, an early childhood focus and what we can do to further develop our VET focus within our secondary colleges.
There are also possibilities within this process to provide for some diversity within the public education system. We need to move away from the 1970s model. You get a certain sense from some participants in this debate that we reached some sort of nirvana in the 1970s. I am reminded of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer says that music was perfected in 1974 and nothing has ever been the same since. You get the sense that people in the education system are not prepared to look beyond the 1970s model that we have in this city. Well, I have been minister for eight weeks, and I am proposing to look forward to what our system can be, not just next year, but in five years and in 10 years and in 2020. Students who will be enrolling in preschool next year will be in our system until 2020. It is my firm view that the system that we have at the moment will not cater to their needs, and we need to address that.
I will be holding a series of community consultation meetings, stakeholder briefings and open days. I will put in place a variety of measures to address all of the concerns that are raised. In the course of this open and constructive dialogue with the community, I am sure that aspects of our proposals will be met with some concern. I have no doubt about that; I acknowledge that publicly. But, over the course of the next six months, I am confident that we can engage in a constructive debate about the future direction of our education system.
The government is well aware of the central role that schools play in the development of the individual, the family and the community as a whole. For this reason it is vital that the government is able to approach the provision of schooling in a manner that is strategic, based on clear evidence and well considered. We do need to ensure our education system continues to meet the changing needs of our community. The government will not be supporting the opposition’s amendments because, far from
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