Futures Project redundant and dangerous
By Maree O’Halloran
The Department of Education and Training's (DET) Futures Project is not benign and it must not be ignored.
The community consultation process entitled "Excellence and Innovation" is part of the Department's long-standing agenda to deregulate staffing and devolve responsibility to schools. It is a process designed to give legitimacy and currency to a 4th term election tilt by the State Labor Government based on a school "reform" plan.
Recently delivered to public schools and TAFE colleges across the state, the Department's consultation document contains issues papers and 58 apparently unobjectionable questions for consideration.
However, the document has to be considered in a political and historical context. Federation's hope was that the consultation process would be genuine. However, media statements by Director-General Andrew Cappie-Wood, when the document was launched, undermine any such hope.
The Director-General made statements about:
- not ruling out performance pay for teachers
- local selection for teachers (deregulated staffing)
- junior high schools and middle schools.
In the Sunday Telegraph on October 31, the Premier confirmed that the State Government has plans to further deregulate the staffing system.
For over a decade plans under the guise of "local autonomy" and "school-based management" have been put forward to deregulate staffing, employment conditions and pay scales. The Scott "Schools Renewal" report in the early 1990s is the most obvious example as is the latest attempt by the Government to introduce contract employment in schools.
The idea of widespread consultation with teachers, parents and community members appears on the face of it to be sound. Indeed, the Federation and the P&C commissioned the Vinson Inquiry in 2001/2002 for that very purpose. However, the Vinson Inquiry was completely independent. The Department's Futures Project is not.
Professor Vinson and his team prepared a well-researched and costed plan for the future of public education. The Department is now ignoring that plan.
The following report from the Manning River Times on October 26 sums up the cynicism that surrounds DET's project:
"It's about working together, according the director-general of the Department of Education and Training, Andrew Cappie-Wood. It is 'the most extensive and comprehensive consultation process undertaken by the department', Mr Cappie-Wood informs us.
"But at what cost does this project come and only a few short years ago, a similar study was undertaken - and fully funded - by the NSW Teachers Federation and the Federation of Parents and Citizens. From that study, Professor Vinson recommended far-reaching changes and called on the State Government to inject an extra $300 million per annum into public education.
"So most of the hard work has been done, if the director-general cares to do his homework.
"Now what is needed is the funding."
Federation will:
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