Page 3273 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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I think we all acknowledge the problem of mental illness in the community, but here is a real place to start. You have been given some evidence that things are not improving. In fact, things are deteriorating and there are a growing number of children presenting. But you just say, “We have got procedures in place. It is all okay.” It is actually not okay. There is just a clear example where this minister and this government have got their priorities wrong. Let us address the mental health of students, particularly in early secondary, and let us address the fitness of all our students so that they get a better outcome.
Another group that the estimates committee heard from was the Childers Group. The Childers Group was particularly interested in arts in schools and the benefits of arts in schools and how it helps kids reach their potential. It is one of those things that help with creativity. What the Childers Group suggested was that we have arts education.
The government’s response was a bit sad, really. The simple answer was, “We are already doing that.” Recommendation 19, again the bipartisan committee, states:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government establish a full-time Arts Officer embedded in the Education Directorate.
This is not about having arts teachers in the education directorate. It is about somebody from the arts community building that bridge between the community and the education system. The government’s response was “not agreed”. I just wonder whether the minister actually read what the committee said to her and, indeed, what the Childers Group, through the committee, said to her. Under “Arts Education”, paragraphs 2.62, 2.63, 2.64 and 2.65 state:
The Coordinator emphasised the importance of having an arts officer funded by artsACT and situated in the Education Directorate who can broker relationships across the ACT Government and between government, schools, and program providers such as the ACT’s key arts organisations.
In response to a question from the Committee, the Coordinator confirmed that the role of the Arts Officer would be to work with children already engaged in activities and with individual schools and institutions to increase exposure to art. He referred to an example in WA where relationships between the two sectors improved significantly once an Arts Officer, funded through arts money, was embedded in education.
The Spokesperson added that the Arts Officer could also have the added benefit of educating teachers to deliver an arts curriculum.
In response to a question from the Committee, the Childers Group agreed that another role for this Arts Officer could be to improve understanding in the Education Directorate and schools about the value of arts in increasing the overall performance of young people in the key areas of literacy and numeracy.
Indeed the strategic plan talks about improving the overall performance of young people. Here is a solid suggestion, a concrete suggestion, from a very knowledgeable group who have a solution for the government. But the government has seen fit to say, “No, we have already got that.” The government’s response to the recommendation is:
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