International data released today proves that Gonski is working and highlights the recklessness of Malcolm Turnbull’s $29 million cuts to education.
The PISA and TIMSS data released today prove that adequately resourcing schools leads to better student performance.
Analysis of PISA and TIMSS data by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) shows more than half of Australian students attended schools where maths and science teaching was affected by a lack of resourcing, and that these schools with resource shortages had an average score lower than more advantaged schools.
Federation President, Maurie Mulheron, who is visiting schools with the national Gonski campaign bus, says that the ACER report confirms the original Gonski findings. He said, “Too many schools are seriously under-resourced for the task at hand. But every public school community we visit tells us the same message: the Gonksi funding is now starting to make a difference. They are adamant that they want the Gonski model funded in full. Principals, parents and teachers are telling us, daily, they can’t understand why Turnbull wants to abandon the funding model.”
AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe was damning in her assessment of the federal Coalition government’s plan to cut billions of dollars from disadvantaged schools, saying, “The evidence is clear that Gonski is working. The only reason Malcolm Turnbull is ignoring that evidence is that he does not care about students who have the greatest needs in our schools.
“Australian schools are significantly under-resourced and that is affecting student performance. Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to scrap Gonski needs-based funding after 2017 means that many schools will never reach the resource standard they need for their students,” she said.
“We need to know which students Malcolm Turnbull wants to miss out on the support and extra programs Gonski funding is already providing. How can these students be expected to achieve when they are in schools that don’t have the basic resources for their education?”
PISA reports show that school systems with more equitable funding distribution perform better. Gonski needs-based funding is addressing past distortions in funding that saw the biggest increases in resources go to the schools that needed them the least. Two-thirds of the extra funding in the Gonski agreements is due to be delivered in 2018 and 2019 — and Malcolm Turnbull wants to abandon the funding plan.
The NSW Teachers Federation is calling on Malcolm Turnbull to get #OnBoardWithGonski to ensure a fair and equitable education for all Australian students.