Public Education Day is May 20

Public Education Day is a day to celebrate and a day to mobilise nationwide, writes ANGELO GAVRIELATOS.

Public Education Day has well and truly become a feature event on school and college calendars nationwide.

It is a day on which schools and colleges showcase and celebrate with their communities the wonderful achievements of our inclusive public education system. A system underpinned by the values of tolerance, acceptance, the celebration of diversity and the pursuit of excellence for all. In short, the quintessential Australian value of a "fair go" for all.

This year, when the State Grants Act (the legislation which determines federal funding to schools) is to be redebated in Federal Parliament and when a Federal election will be held, Public Education Day will take on additional significance.

In view of the unprecedented attacks on public education, Public Education Day will provide an opportunity to highlight and mobilise supporters in pursuit of our campaign objectives and demands which include:

• a priority commitment to the provision of public education
• a significant increase in funding and resourcing for public schools and TAFE
• the redistribution to public schools of the funding currently given to private schools
• the defeat of the State Grants Act.

Quality material aimed at advancing our objectives will be available for all schools and colleges on that day.

In a year when the lack of funding for and commitment to public education at both the state and federal government level has become a critical issue in the public domain, the Federation will approach Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW chair Professor Tony Vinson to analyse the State Government's response to the report of the Vinson Inquiry and the Federal Government's policies. It is hoped that this analysis will be available to be released by the Public Education Alliance on Public Education Day.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Senior Vice President.

For further information

March 2004 contents