Additional $1 billion needed

By Angelo Gavrielatos

Federation has called on the major parties to immediately commit an additional $1 billion in recurrent funding to NSW public schools.

The Schools Resource Taskforce, established in 2002 by the Ministerial Council on Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), has calculated that NSW public schools require an additional $1 billion in recurrent funding to ensure that the National Schools Resourcing Standard necessary to achieve the National Goals of Schooling can be met. Indeed, the $1 billion dollars grossly underestimates the true level of funding required as the Schools Resource Taskforce has not yet calculated costs associated with capital, or specific costs associated with special education or with assuring quality teaching for all students.

The additional $1 billion in recurrent funding would assist in funding the five identified priority demands to ensure that our public education system continues to deliver high quality education for our students:

1. Free, public pre-school education for all children, to provide a strong foundation for future schooling.
2. Additional targeted resources for smaller classes and specialist programs in the early years of high school, when students make the challenging transition from primary school to years 7 and 8.
3. Maintenance and capital works programs that provide buildings, classrooms and equipment conducive to effective teaching and learning in the 21st century, including access to modern technologies.
4. Preparing and supporting the future generations of teachers and continuing to support existing teachers with appropriate professional development and time to ensure our students continue to receive high quality teaching and learning from a well-respected teaching profession.
5. Greater support for students with identified needs; this would include improved funding for Aboriginal education programs, for students from a non-English background, and for students with disabilities and learning difficulties who require special targeted programs.
In the lead-in to the next state and federal elections, the Federation will provide regular reports on the responses to the priority demands by the major political parties and independent candidates, where considered appropriate.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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