Howard’s Government for private schools

The Federal Government has clearly positioned itself as the government for private schools, writes Angelo Gavrielatos.

Prime Minister John Howard and his government continue to demonstrate through their words and policy choices that they have turned their backs on the almost 70 per cent of students, their parents and teachers who make up the public education system. The Federal Government has clearly positioned itself as the government for private schools.

The attempt to create an impression that the Federal Government is not responsible for public education is not founded in the constitution or history, and is morally repugnant.

On February 29 Prime Minister John Howard announced his government would give Catholic systemic schools an additional $362 million in funding. This led into an announcement on March 11 where the Howard Government outlined its funding allocations for public and private schools for the next four years.

These announcements further increase the level and proportion of funding to private schools. In real terms and in dollar terms the funding advantage to private schools has been radically extended by the Howard Government.

These announcements complete and cement the Howard Government's iniquitous and unfair funding regime.

The Howard Government's Socio Economic Status (SES) funding model takes no account of:

• the current resources of private schools
• the income levels of the parents who send their children to private schools (The model uses the census district of the child's home address to determine funding. Private schools reap the benefit from the poverty of their students' neighbours.)

The fact that schools that should lose money according to the government's formula are 'funding maintained' further distorts the funding model in favour of private schools.

The Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services 2003 shows that even in 2001/02, before the greatest increases, the Howard Government gave $3583 per private school student compared with only $887 per public school student.

Based on the Howard Government's own figures in 2005<0x2013>2008:

• the 68 per cent of students enrolled in public schools will receive only 26.3 per cent of federal government recurrent funding;
• the 11 per cent of students in independent private schools will get 27.7 per cent of federal government recurrent funding;
• the 21 per cent of students at Catholic systemic schools will get 46 per cent share of federal government recurrent funding.
• Where the Federal Government has a choice about the allocation and expenditure of funds, it chooses to give 73.7 per cent of recurrent funding to 32 per cent of students in private schools.

The unfairness of the Howard Government's funding is further demonstrated by its announcement on March 11 for students with special learning needs. While 82 per cent of students with special learning needs are enrolled in public schools, only 19 per cent of the new funds given to schools to enable them to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act standard will go to public schools.

The new funding arrangements are, in part, based on a government assumption that student numbers in public schools will decrease.

On this point, the Government continues to implement a funding regime that makes a self-fulfilling prophecy of private school enrolment increases.

Advice provided by the NSW Department of Education and Training shows that between 1996 and 2004 the Commonwealth spent an extra $164 million, on top of what it was already giving private schools, to achieve an enrolment shift of approximately 3.5 percent from public schools. In other words, the Howard Government spent an extra $2800 for every student, on top of its normally obscene subsidies to private schools, to entice public school students into a private school.

That additional $164 million equates to more than 2000 teachers who could have been employed in public schools in NSW to reduce class sizes and enhance the quality of teaching/learning.

As we prepare for Public Education Day on Thursday May 20, it is important that all public education supporters are activated to oppose the Howard Government.

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Senior Vice President.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005