Greens NSW launch schools policy

Real Money for NSW's public schools

The Greens are committed to putting public schools first. It is time that the public sector set the resourcing yardstick, not the wealthy private school sector.

We are proud of the Greens’ education platform and despite attacks from some of the private school lobby we will campaign to see it implemented. Education is the key building block of a successful and cohesive society and our policy will allow additional resources to redress the current funding imbalance and provide a future where all children in NSW have the same access to a high quality education.

Despite the noise coming from some groups, our funding measures would not cause a single non-government school to close or need to raise its fees. The policy aims to achieve equity, to ensure all children and young people in NSW have access to adequately resourced schools.

The Greens would deliver an 11 percent growth in the number of teachers in NSW public schools, reducing class sizes, improving outcomes for children with special needs and providing more opportunities for teachers to develop their skills.

Catholic and Independent schools have done exceptionally well under the Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments. The Greens believe it is time that the growth in the education budget went to public schools.

As Education Minister, Julia Gillard gave the Howard government’s damaging and biased education funding system another four years of life. Now as Prime Minister she has locked it in for yet another four years.

This means less money for public schools and a more divided society.

Julia Gillard spent two and a half years as Education Minister importing the worst of American policies, instead of working to reduce class sizes and provide more support for children with special needs in public schools.

Tony Abbott’s Opposition has done little more than mimic Labor’s disastrous education policies. They have hardly mentioned public schools in this election campaign.

Labor’s name-and-shame ‘my school’ website is misleading and dangerous. The data does not represent the real strengths of many schools. Teachers are being forced to focus on narrow curriculum areas at the expense of a quality education.

This is not real accountability but an excuse for inaction on funding.

Prime Minister Gillard now wants to divide staff rooms and pit teacher against teacher with bonuses. This will degrade the professionalism of educators, with an insulting and inadequate fast tracked eight week training package for engineers and accountants.

Similar polices failed to help schools in New York and they will damage educational outcomes in Australia.