Wrong path for public education in Western Australia

AUSTRALIA – The Australian Education Union (AEU) has said the Barnett Government of Western Australia’s plans for so-called independent public schools would not improve education and were an attempt to avoid its obligations to properly resource and staff public schools.

AEU federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said the announcement was a step in the wrong direction for public education in the state.

“The primary responsibility of any government is to ensure that properly resourced and staffed schools operate in every community,” Mr Gavrielatos said.

“Here we have the Barnett Government attempting to abrogate its responsibilities by creating so-called independent public schools.

“Instead of putting more resources into schools we have a government trying to hand-pass its responsibilities to local school communities.

“If these schools do not have enough resources in the future it is the school leadership that will get the blame and not the Barnett Government.

“There is no credible evidence that this sort of approach, which is used in low-performing nations such as the United States, leads to better academic outcomes or the development and implementation of innovative teaching practices.

“Instead of implementing meaningful reform across schools that would enhance the quality of learning you have local schools left on their own.”