Page 3898 - Week 12 - Thursday, 23 November 2006
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Dr Foskey’s dissertation rather strayed from what was stated in the motion, but I think that much of what she says should be taken notice of. Local schools and neighbourhood centres play a vital role in sustaining environmentally the community, and community development and cohesion are important elements of maintaining local schools and local centres. These are messages that the Stanhope government need to take on board, and I am sure that now we will hear from the minister about what wonderful things they are doing in education to make schools more sustainable. I look forward once again to hearing about thermal mass at Harrison.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation and Minister for Industrial Relations) (5.17): I would like to thank Dr Foskey for raising this matter of public importance today and I put on the record that, like Dr Foskey, I too believe that schools play a vital role in the Canberra community.
However, in acknowledging the many roles that schools play, we cannot forget that the primary role of schools is the provision of education. Whilst that might seem like an obvious statement, in our busy and complex society schools are often under pressure to be all things to all people. It cannot be forgotten that education is the principal determinant of people’s economic prospects and life chances and it is the means by which people acquire and renew skills that are needed for work and for life.
This is even more critical in today’s society, with fewer manual labour jobs and the likelihood that people will have to change careers a number of times in their lifetime. We are also facing a future where with an ageing population and consequential skill shortages we will need to make the most of the productive capacity of those people in the labour force.
Access Economics in 2005 estimated that increasing the proportion of young people acquiring a year 12 or equivalent qualification by 10 percentage points would have a major long-term impact on both productivity and participation, raising national income by 1.1 per cent by 2040. This is one of the reasons why we have set a target within the Canberra social plan of increasing to 95 per cent by 2013 the proportion of 19-year-olds with a year 12 certificate or equivalent.
If health provides the foundation for an active and productive working life, education and training provide the tools that enable people to realise their potential. We know, for example, that literacy and numeracy are core skills for success in school and working life and that poor literacy and numeracy performance is closely linked with lower rates of school completion, lower rates of further study, an increased chance of unemployment and, just as significantly, is likely to lead to social exclusion and disengagement from the community.
To be an active and full participant in the community today requires the skills and capacities that are engendered through a quality education system, just as much as it is necessary for our future economic prosperity. Schools are increasingly called on not just to educate but to give our children good manners, a well-balanced breakfast, after-school activities and even spiritual guidance.
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