The Tasmanian Greens today said that the Liberal’s plan to provide year 11 and 12 in all Tasmanian high schools will mean the end of the college system, and accused the Minister for Education Jeremy Rockliff of acting without any evidence that his proposed structural change will increase retention rates.
Greens Education spokesperson Nick McKim MP said that Y10-Y12 direct retention rates in Tasmania have improved consistently for the last four years, and the Liberals are experimenting in post year 10 at the expense of proven early years programs.
“Evidence shows that the early years are where the biggest gains can be made, and the Liberals would be much better off extending our nation leading Launching into Learning program to Grade 2 rather than experiment in the later years with no any evidence to back them up,” Mr McKim said.
“Of course more needs to be done to offer year 11 and 12 in regional high schools, which was already occurring with many of the schools that the Liberals have invited to apply for funding already offering VET and/or pre-tertiary subjects to year 11 and 12 students.”
“The current model uses colleges and TasTAFE as learning hubs to deliver year 11 and 12 into regional Tasmania, and this was extended for the current school year.”
“We should be augmenting that strategy, but instead the Liberals will reduce the capacity of colleges and TasTAFE, and ultimately bring about the death of a thousand cuts for our colleges.”
“Tasmanians have got a right to know what impact this will have on college and TasTAFE enrolments, and how large the resultant funding decreases for colleges and TasTAFE will be.”
Nick McKim MP | Greens Education spokesperson
