The Public Education Alliance launched its vision for public education in Tasmanian today, outlining key policies and the urgency of Gonski reforms.
The report, Public Education: Opportunity, Equity, Community, was presented to Premier Lara Giddings outside Parliament House in Hobart during the national Gonski Week of Action.
The Alliance believes six fundamental areas need to be addressed for Tasmanian public education to be on a pathway to deliver the highest possible outcomes for all students.
The six key policy priority areas are:
• Gonski Recommendations — implemented in full
• Inclusion — improving outcomes for vulnerable students
• Class sizes — reintroduction of funding to cap primary school class sizes
• Funding additional School Psychologists
• Building school and community partnerships
• School budgets — reintroduction of indexation to school budgets
Jenny Eddington, Public Education Alliance spokesperson, said all policy areas outlined were important with negotiations about Gonski reforms at a particularly critical stage.
“Too many students are missing out on resources and there are growing gaps in the achievements of students from different backgrounds and circumstances because the funding model is broken,” said Ms Eddington.
“We are looking to our State Government to strongly back the proposed Gonski reforms and stand ready to contribute its fair share of funding to help ensure the reforms are delivered.”
“The Alliance acknowledges Tasmania’s tough economic times but funding our students according to need is something we cannot afford not to do.”
The independent Gonski Review found that public schools were critically underfunded and recommended an additional $3.8 billion for every public school student — or around an extra $1500 per student. Tasmanian public schools would receive around an additional $90 million each year.
Download report:
Public_Education_Alliance_Policy_Report_2013.pdf
