Funding focus for May 19

By Angelo Gavrielatos

Public Education Day will be celebrated nationally on Thursday May 19.

With the theme, "Public Education -- Worth The Investment", it is an occasion to celebrate the great achievements of public schools and colleges.

Public Education Day is also a call to all citizens for advocacy and action in support of greater investment from governments.

Given the role of public schools and colleges in shaping our cohesive, democratic society, it is incumbent upon all citizens to call on elected representatives to preserve and enhance the quality of public education by lifting the level of government investment.

While communities right across Australia are growing increasingly concerned about the inadequate level of resources available to public schools and colleges, the Federal Government continues with its radical funding regime which favours private schools. Between 2005-2008, while choosing to give 73.7 per cent of recurrent funding to approximately 32 per cent of students in private schools, the Federal Government will only provide 26.3 per cent of recurrent government funding to public schools.

Despite the Federal Government's massive shift in schools funding to the private sector at the expense of public education, the NSW Government has not changed its schools funding policies to compensate public education accordingly. Rhetorical criticism of Federal Government policies is substituted for any real change in state government policy.

Furthermore, evidence is constantly provided about the schools' funding rundown. Earlier this year, James Guthrie of Knowledge Research found that an increase of nearly $600 million would be available for public schools and colleges if the NSW Government maintained the 1999/2000 level of funding to the Department of Education and Training.

The Public Education Council, before it was abolished by the NSW Government, made a strong case for increased public education funding:

"Public schools in NSW are not operating in a vacuum. It is necessary to consider their resource entitlements in the context of the mixed system of schooling supported by public funding in Australia. The asymmetrical nature of the relationship between the roles and responsibilities of the Commonwealth and NSW governments in the funding of public and non-government schools exacerbates the difficulties of achieving equitable and efficient resourcing of schools.

"The public school system in NSW caters for between 80 and 90 per cent of the most educationally disadvantaged students, requiring the most intensive and costly interventions. Non-government schools, by contrast, can exercise discretion over the size and composition of their student intake.

"Under current policy settings, both state and Commonwealth governments are contributing increased public funding to non government schools with the combined effect of increasing the gap between the resources available in public schools and those in an increasing proportion of non-government schools. The point has now been reached where the NSW Government's 25 per cent funding link for the non government sector is compromising its principal responsibility, namely to provide public education of the highest standard."

To strengthen public confidence in the future of public schooling, the Public Education Council recommended the following action by the State Government "that the NSW Government affirms its commitment to the principle set out in the NSW Education Act (1990) 'that the principal responsibility of the State in the education of children is the provision of public education', by:
"*ensuring that all government policies and priorities in education and training are consistent with this principle;
"*establishing a climate in which school and system leaders are encouraged to take a proactive role in advocating publicly the benefits, achievements and challenges of public education."

On Public Education Day, Professor Tony Vinson will deliver an audit revealing the extent to which the State Government has implemented the recommendations of the landmark Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW.

Public education campaign activities will be supported by extensive publicity, including newspaper and radio advertising and billboards and corflute signs for schools and colleges carrying the slogan "Public Education -- Worth The Investment".

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Senior Vice President.

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Funding shortage has caused skills shortage

Making a splash for Public Education Day

For further information

May 2005 contents