Drawing a line on the restructure

The Department of Education and Training (DET) will continue to be severely hamstrung in its restructuring efforts while ever the Government refuses to abandon the requirement to impose job cuts, writes DAVID FERGUSON.

Removing 1000 jobs from the Department will inevitably reduce support to schools and it is dishonest to suggest otherwise.

To take but one example: while the restructure rhetoric alluded to an increased focus on the use of technology to support teaching and learning in the classroom, the support proposed for this area makes a mockery of that assertion. In the September 24 proposal, the 20 computer assessment skills consultancy positions currently located around the state would be deleted. The five proposed information and communication technology consultants would all be located in the Sydney metropolitan area.

Many members in schools, state office units and district offices have expressed opposition to the proposal as it impacts on their area. These members are to be congratulated for their activism, particularly in the face of pressure placed on individuals by district superintendents and others to not engage in the Department's self-declared 'consultation' process.

Federation, in responding to the September proposal, restated the value it places on the work of consultants, officers and advisers in schools, and educational officers and support staff in TAFE.

All teachers, however, must remain vigilant about the consequences of reduced consultancy support on schools and colleges. We must draw a line on the restructure by, for example, vigorously opposing any action by DET which would bring about a shifting of consultancy support costs from the DET to individual school budgets. This could occur if DET suggested in any way that schools should purchase, through release days or conference fees, support which prior to the restructure would have been available via their district office.

Likewise, teachers must oppose any defacto privatisation of the consultancy brought about by the use of consultants external to DET to provide training and development or other services that should be provided by Departmental employees who are committed to the enhancement of public education.

We must continue to call on the Government to abandon the requirement that the department axe 1000 positions and, in its place, agree to act on the public's demand to improve support for public education by increasing the recurrent budgetary allocation.

David Ferguson is President of the Officers, Consultants and Advisers Association.

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