Page 508 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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very clear to members of this place. I have repeated it many times and I have said many times in my ministerial statements and on the release of the future of education strategy:
Even in wealthy communities like the ACT, children start life in vastly different places with different backgrounds and circumstances affecting their chance at a good life.
We see this in schools every day.
Some children come to school ready to learn. They’re happy and well—eager to take hold of the world.
Some children, however, are not as fortunate. These children take on greater challenges and face greater barriers than the rest.
Education has an incredible power to level all of this out. Education allows all children to reach their potential.
The ACT government believes every child deserves a great education and the life chances which flow from it.
Our education system must support all children to overcome and achieve. Our education system must mould and mature resilient adults. It must establish success for the future and broader horizons.
And it will do this by providing equity. By responding to the personal needs of each individual. Because educational equity is key to delivering a fairer, more equal society free from disadvantage arising from economic, social, cultural or other causes.
These strong principles are deeply held. They require determination from the government on behalf of the community because our vision is far from easy to achieve. Our vision requires dedication to each child personally.
Alongside equity, the future of education strategy relies on the principles of student agency, access and inclusion. These important principles are in some ways an expression of equity being rooted in them as a fundamental idea. The government is putting these ideas into practice.
Our public schools are open to all children and young people. All are welcome. And with that comes the challenges of some families and children that have things going on that make life a little harder and a little messier. Our public schools are also increasingly aware of the need to appropriately put children in charge of their lives because this is the best thing for their learning and learning outcomes, including socially and emotionally.
Every student and teacher deserves to be safe in ACT schools. This one point in the motion that we are debating is correct. The government and I, as education minister, have made our commitment to safe and supportive schools very clear. There is no place for bullying or violence in our schools. Equally, because all are welcome in
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