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Gillard threatens safety, staffing and standards in public schools
Monday 02 August 2010
Federal Labor’s plan to weaken the ability of state governments to regulate public schools will make it much harder to put a qualified teacher in front of every classroom and maintain high quality in all schools, according to Greens NSW Senate candidate Lee Rhiannon.
, Daily Telegraph, 2 August.
Ms Rhiannon said: “While the NSW Department of Education has been far from perfect, Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s plan to take away its ability to place qualified staff into every classroom would be a disaster for rural and regional schools and for disadvantaged communities.
“NSW’s staffing arrangements, which would be destroyed by the Gillard plan, are central to the promise that every student will receive a quality education from a qualified teacher.
“NSW public schools have a far lower rate of child sexual abuse than non-government schools, in large part because of the stringent protocols put in place by the Department.
“Weakening controls will make public schools look much more like non-government institutions, exposing students to higher risk levels and in some cases much lower standards.
“Ms Gillard’s war on the states might make for good election coverage but it is not in the best interests of the students in NSW’s 2,300 public schools.
“The Labor leader is using education as a platform to distance herself from the unpopular state governments but along the way she is undermining public education.
“School principals and P&Cs do an excellent job and should be part of a partnership with the state and federal governments.
“This is very different to weakening the ability of state authorities to ensure staffing, child safety and educational quality,” Ms Rhiannon said.
