Page 220 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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The future of education strategy also has implications for physical school infrastructure. As members would know from recent budgets, the government is building the new schools that our community needs and is upgrading existing schools to provide modern learning environments. As this investment in public education facilities continues, the government will look at how community school approaches can be integrated from the outset in the design of new facilities. This will allow schools to better integrate the provision of education, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement. Schools are community hubs, and the government will be more deliberate in using them in this way. Again, this work has already begun, with the design for the new school in Denman Prospect including an integrated early learning centre.
As members will recall, alongside the strategy, the government has been working on the ACT’s first early childhood strategy. This strategy is a vital part of implementing the future of education because of the need for a focused effort on setting up every child for success A clear direction is forming that recognises the universal need and individuality of every child, the need to better value educators in the early childhood sector, and the opportunity to better leverage the resources that are expanded in this sector. I am proud that the ACT led Australia in committing to work towards universal, free early childhood education for three-year-old children. Since my announcement of this commitment, I have been pleased to see the federal Labor opposition deciding that it will partner with states and territories in this area if it takes government.
Last year, the Assembly asked that I report back on measures aimed at lifting academic performance in schools. What is required is pretty clear. What is required is what the government is doing. We are setting each child up for success through more equitable access to early learning. We are investing in teachers and the teaching profession. We are making sure that systems providing the machinery for our schools focus on equity, because a child’s educational opportunity should not depend on their background or family circumstances. We are allocating resources, significant amounts of public money, on an equitable basis.
There are numerous specific initiatives underway that will support academic achievements in ACT schools. For example, the Education Directorate’s early years literacy initiative, which began in 2017 with the support of Tasmanian expert Christine Topfer, has been focusing on developing essential foundation skills in literacy among students in preschool to year 2. It is doing this by entrenching evidence-informed best practice and empowering teachers and school leaders with the capability to deliver high quality teaching. By the end of this year, 49 schools will be directly involved, with all schools being able to access the associated professional learning.
The government’s empowerment of learning professionals is foundational, and our commitment is clear. Our commitment to equity, to every child having the opportunity to have their individual learning needs met at school, is foundational and clear. The government’s future education strategy will give the ACT’s children and young people the very best chance at a bright future. I look forward to telling
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