Page 634 - Week 03 - Thursday, 15 March 2007
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The people of Tuggeranong will be involved in the first consultations regarding the design of the new start-of-the-art P-10 school on the site of Kambah high school.
While these new schools are being built, the government is also renewing our older schools to ensure quality teaching and learning environments for all Canberra students. As members would be aware, a record $90 million is being invested over four years to upgrade school infrastructure. This is the single largest investment in education in the ACT since self-government. This year alone we are seeing 223 separate upgrade projects being undertaken across more than 72 ACT schools. I have had the opportunity to visit some of the schools that are undergoing upgrades and I can say that the improvements to the teaching and learning environments are obvious and will be of great benefit to students and teachers.
A major focus of the renewal will be on improving the environmental sustainability of our schools and to reduce their running costs by retrofitting efficient and environmentally friendly plant and equipment that will make greater use of renewable energy. This retrofitting will be a major focus of the projects in coming years and will mean that all of our schools will be more sustainable. But that is not all. The government has also committed $20 million over the next four years to build on information communication technology in our schools to ensure that the ACT continues to lead the nation in the use of IT in teaching and learning.
Broadband connections will be upgraded in every public school in the ACT, including high speed fibre-optic cables to all secondary schools—an Australian first. Wireless networking capability will also be rolled out to all schools. This will put ACT schools at the leading edge of bandwidth provision, both nationally and internationally. These upgrades are happening as we speak and already students in the ACT system are benefiting from increased bandwidth and accessibility.
While these upgrades are providing students with better access to IT and better learning environments, the government is also engaging in a major reform process of what is being taught in our classrooms, in both government and non-government schools. Our curriculum renewal process is currently in trial phase, before full implementation in 2008. The ACT is leading the nation in incorporating the national statements of learning for English, mathematics, science, civics and citizenship and information and communication technologies.
The government continues to work closely with schools and the community to ensure that the ACT continues to lead the nation in education, lifelong learning and training. The government is renewing our education system to make sure that our schools are of the highest quality and that what students are learning in them is relevant and providing value.
We know that education is an extremely important issue. It is an important foundation of individual success and the success of our society and our city. It is a clear priority for this government. That is why I was dismayed yesterday to learn that those opposite, including Mrs Dunne, the shadow minister, are no longer interested in education. It is a great pity. This government continues its strong focus on reform and delivering a world-class education system for the ACT.
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