Mobilise and celebrate on May 17

Public Education Day on Thursday May 17 will be an opportunity to celebrate and mobilise, nationwide, writes ANGELO GAVRIELATOS.

Public Education Day is a day on which schools and colleges can showcase and celebrate with their communities the wonderful achievements of our inclusive public education system. Underpinned by the values of tolerance, acceptance, the celebration of diversity and the pursuit of excellence for all, public education represents that quintessential Australian value of a fair go for all.

This year, a Federal election year, Public Education Day will take on additional meaning. Public Education Day will provide an opportunity to highlight and mobilise supporters in pursuit of Federation's campaign objectives and demands which include:

• a priority commitment to the provision of the highest quality public education and training
• a significant increase in funding and resourcing for public schools and TAFE.

On Public Education Day public education advocate Dr Lyndsay Connors AM will deliver a research paper, Can the Federal system work better for Australian Schools?.

At a time of ever increasing blame shifting between the state and federal governments this research paper analysing Commonwealth/state funding relations is very timely.

To coincide with Education Week, Federation will distribute to all schools a DVD copy of a documentary screened on Channel 7 called That Was Me. Significantly funded by the Australian Education Union and its branches, the documentary follows a number of prominent Australians who were part of "Back to School Day" activities in 2006. Schools are encouraged to organise a special screening of this uplifting documentary for their school community.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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Last Modified: 03 May 2007