Investing in education
Despite under-funding by the Howard Government, Australia's public schools are among the best in the world. To maintain and improve this position we need to ensure that every school has the resources it needs to deliver a high quality education for its students.
Future federal governments should commit to dramatically increasing the funding for public schools.
Setting the benchmark
In 2002 the Schools Resource Taskforce (SRT) was established by state, territory and commonwealth education ministers to discover the real cost of delivering high quality education for all.
The taskforce determined that:
- A national resource benchmark should be established against which funding to all schools could be decided so that all schools could continue to meet the National Goals of Schooling.
- It will take an extra 2.4 billion in funding per year to ensure that all government schools are funded to the level required (note: the $2.4 billion represents 2003 dollars. The equivalent figure for 2007 would be $2.9 billion. This does not include capital costs or funding for students with disabilities).
What would the extra money be used for?
- Extra teachers to reduce class sizes and improve learning opportunities for both high achievers and those with learning difficulties
- Additional targeted resources for smaller classes and specialist programs in the early years of high school where students make the challenging transition from primary school.
- Improved funding for indigenous education, special education and for students from non-English speaking backgrounds
- Investing in the latest technology and equipment
- Better training and salaries for teachers to ensure we have a well-prepared and well paid workforce
More information
For more information about this issue please go to the NSW Teachers Federation's Public Education campaign website or contact the NSW Teachers Federation.
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