Page 248 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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schools across the ACT. Of course, there are some issues around older schools having different kinds of infrastructure in place.
I am pretty interested in education in the ACT. I think it is pretty important, Madam Speaker. That is why I listen to the professionals in the sector, hear about what they know, and then work with them to implement education that will be of benefit to every child.
MS LEE: Minister, will you be rolling out the style of teaching taught at Margaret Hendry School to other ACT government schools?
MS BERRY: As I was saying, it already exists in different ways across the ACT. At Alfred Deakin High School, for example, students are able to describe the kinds of things they are passionate about. Part of their weekly rostering for activity is about engaging in something they are passionate about, whether that is photography or some kind of art or some other passion they might have or some other pursuit they are interested in. This kind of personal learning is something our teachers and school leaders want to be able to engage their students on.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Hanson, please.
MS BERRY: When I talk to young people and students and children at schools about this they say this is exactly the kind of education they want. They want to have education that is absolutely targeted at the way they learn and the things that interest them.
Education—occupational violence
MISS C BURCH: My question is to the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development. In 2017-18, 75 per cent of all occupational violence incidents reported across the ACT public service occurred in the Education Directorate. Minister, why do members of the Education Directorate make up 75 per cent of reported violence incidents?
MS BERRY: As I spoke about in this place yesterday, the ACT government has been working very closely with schools, the school community and the Education Union about implementing a program to address violence in schools. This is a complex issue. In ACT government schools we invite and welcome any student, regardless of their background, regardless of things that might be going on in their lives that might cause behaviour in schools that can sometimes lead to occupational violence. That is the issue when you have human beings in a human service setting.
We are working very closely and very carefully to make sure that workplaces such as schools, government schools in the ACT, are safe workplaces. But it is a complex issue, and it needs to be addressed very carefully, as I said. That is why we have implemented the prevention of workplace violence program in schools, and we are
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