Annual Conference theme statement

21st Century Conditions for 21st Century Learning

The Annual Conference theme statement was debated and adopted by the 600 delegates of the 90th Annual Conference of the NSW Teachers Federation.

Public schools and TAFE Colleges offer education and training of the highest quality because of the dedication, effort and expertise of the teaching and support staff, students and parents. It is the people involved in public education communities who ensure that great teaching and learning remains at the heart of the public education system.

Teachers strive to deliver education of the highest quality. However, they can only do so within the conditions and resources provided by government to public education and training facilities. Teachers often work in less than optimal conditions and students are often learning in less than optimal conditions. Teachers and students deserve better workplaces and recognition of the value of their work.

A decade into the 21st century, having seen the demise of the Howard era, it is time for Australia to rebuild and renew its public education facilities and commit to a compact with the Australian people to invest in education with the aim of providing a public school and TAFE College of the highest quality for every student in every community/locality.

An ideal opportunity exists now with the election of a new Federal Labor Government for state and federal governments to co-operate to rebuild and refurbish our public schools and TAFE Colleges to a standard sufficient to provide the best possible environment for teaching and learning in the 21st century. This must include environmentally and ergonomically sound structures reflecting social and environmental aspects of new curricula. Globalisation and the rapid pace of information technologies have changed the world we live in and the nature of work itself. The infrastructure of schools and TAFE Colleges has not kept pace with this change and is limiting the educational opportunities of students.

However, the demand for governments to provide 21st century conditions for 21st century learning is broader than physical infrastructure and encompasses:

• respect and recognition for teaching and learning. Teachers must be involved in all decision-making about curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting. Furthermore, governments must invest in the teaching profession for the future of individual students and society
• the value of the vital role public education plays for individuals, communities and the nation as a whole
• resource levels to provide teaching and learning environments of the highest quality
• provision of new technologies, including appropriate infrastructure, support and preferential up-skilling
• providing extra and differential resources to public schools in areas of socio-economic disadvantage
• extra investment to meet the special needs of students in the areas of Aboriginal education, special education and for students with English as a second language

November 2007 saw the demise of the Federal Coalition Government led by John Howard. For more than a decade Federation has been fighting an ideological attack on public education led by John Howard's Government. That attack was designed to shake public confidence in the curriculum, standards and quality of teachers in public education. In addition, the amounts of government funding to private schools increased greatly as a result of a corrupt and corrupted funding formula which the Rudd Government has yet to overturn. This funding, together with the abolition of the "New Schools Policy" was a supply-driven attempt to foster the privatisation of schooling in Australia. Similar attacks were made on the TAFE system which is open and available to all Australians.

Conference expects and calls on the Rudd Labor Government to demonstrate leadership, as did Gough Whitlam when elected and make public education a national priority.The Rudd Labor Government must, to ensure the future of an educated and equitable Australian society, address the abuse lavished on public education during the Howard Years. Conference rejects the call by the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Julia Gillard for an end to the private/public debate. Such a call serves only to mask growing inequality in our society. It is a call that ignores the inequity of provision for public schools compared with the total resourcing of private schools. Even with this inequity public schools achieve outstanding results. Only public education has the capacity to be transformative for not just individuals but for whole communities and society.

The ability to maintain social cohesion in a pluralist society, the strength of our democracy and the realising of aspirations for all children are all directly related to the strength and quality of public education. Individual excellence and the common good are valued and promoted in the public education system.

Conference commends the Rudd Government for creating the portfolio of "Social Inclusion" headed by the Deputy Prime Minister. We call on that government to explicitly recognise that only the public education system is based on the principle of social inclusion.

Finally, the teaching profession is critical to ensuring teaching and learning of the highest quality. Government policy for the teaching profession must be premised on:

• high levels of trust in the profession
• professional salary levels
• professional development/learning opportunities
• professional career pathways
• security of tenure

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Last Modified: 11 Jul 2008