NSW Govt: Schools in “appalling condition”

26 September 2013 By NSW Teachers Federation

Federation notes Education Minister Piccoli’s comments in today’s Australian newspaper about the poor state of public school buildings and facilities in remote Aboriginal community schools.

Mr Piccoli duly recognises that Aboriginal students and their communities deserve much better than what is currently provided by government.  Mr Piccoli described one school he visited as being in an ‘‘appalling condition’’.

As principals, teachers and parents in many public schools know, however, this problem is not unique to remote Aboriginal communities.

The failure of governments to invest in public school infrastructure is well known and hard felt by public school communities around the state.

The lack of capital works investment in public schools was recognised in the Gonski Review of Funding for Schooling. Gonski found that, on average, independent schools spend three times as much and Catholic schools spend twice as much on capital works than is spent on public schools.

It would indeed be a positive achievement if Minister Piccoli were able to convince the NSW Government to match his critique with the money needed to bring all public schools up to a high quality standard befitting an economically prosperous nation like Australia.