School demands new facilities

By Owen Hasler

Narrabri High School teachers are campaigning to upgrade the sub standard home economics facilities at the school together with some other maintenance issues.

Narrabri High School has grown from 626 to 720 students since 1996, and only has one 26-year-old demountable in order to service three senior hospitality courses, the core design and technology classes as well as years 9 and 10 elective courses.

The kitchen is also used regularly by Narrabri Adult Community Education and other adult education providers because it is the only training facility in the town.

The building, which is visibly substandard, has been on site for more than 17 years and the school has made submissions to the Department of Education and Training since 1996 for an upgrade. According to Federation Representative Marie Stanford, the building is totally inadequate for servicing the classes utilising it.

"We have a list of 17 ways in which the room is inadequate. We have conveyed this list to the appropriate authorities. We are particularly frustrated and angered when we compare the standard of this room with the standards required of new buildings set out in the Secondary School Facilities Standard which we have recently accessed via the Teachers Federation library."

"This school is seriously disadvantaged in comparison to these standards and it is only through the hard work of staff working in difficult and dangerous conditions that they have maintained the high level of educational outcomes for our students," Ms Stanford said.

Federation staff at the school decided to utilise the media to highlight their plight. A news article by Sunday Telegraph state political writer Linda Silmales on July 20 was titled "School Runs Out of Room".

The article highlighted the necessity to reduce the number of students undertaking these courses thereby reducing the educational opportunities for these students. It also concentrated on the inadequacy of the building it self. These issues include unhygienic work surfaces, lack of storage areas, insufficient space for students and equipment, inadequate access and insufficient stoves and equipment.

The response from the Department of Education and Training was that a "review of facilities at Narrabri High School would be conducted by the end of this month [July]".

Local media outlets, including Prime and NBN television were quick to adopt the story and the first week of term 3 saw both channels air the story during their news broadcasts with Marie Stanford doing an excellent job in presenting the school's case.

On July 25, Deputy Director-General Alan Laughlin was interviewed on Prime television and indicated that work to improve the drainage in the car park would be undertaken immediately at a cost of $17,000 and that there would be a review of the rest of the facilities during term 3.

Staff are now planning to meet with the P&C to organise an ongoing campaign for an immediate upgrade of the facility.

Should an indication that the work required be not forthcoming in the near future the staff will meet in order to discuss possible industrial action.

Owen Hasler is a Country Organiser.

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