The Albanese Government’s promise to increase its share of public school funding is more smoke and mirrors from a government failing to take the urgent action required to fix our education system.
For close to two years, Education Minister Jason Clare has talked a big game on the National School Reform Agreement but so far has delivered no national agreement and no school reforms.
The Albanese Government has wheeled out a promise to deliver $3 billion extra a year for public schools but after all the lies they have told how you can trust a word they say?
This promise is contingent on the states and territories delivering billions more in schools funding, and on that score all we have heard is deafening silence.
Mr Clare has reached an agreement in principle with Western Australia only.
Apart from the Northern Territory, Victoria is the worst performer, delivering only 70 per cent of funding to public schools, rather than 80 per cent as required under the ‘Gonski’ funding model.
With one in three students failing NAPLAN, the decline in our school standards is untenable. So why has Jason Clare failed to make the case for reforms such as mandating evidence-based teaching methods in every classroom?
It is clear this minister hasn’t done the work to get the states and territories on board – reforms such as explicit instruction, a back to basics focus on numeracy and literacy, the rollout of the Grade 1 phonics test and an end to open classrooms. Only the Tasmanian Liberal government has mandated evidence-based teaching methods.
There is much that can be done right now but Jason Clare has been all talk and very little action.
Teachers need much greater support to excel in the classroom, so that every child can reach his or her best potential.
Many universities must wear a big part of the blame for delivering woefully inadequate teacher training which leaves teachers unprepared in the classroom. Labor should be applying the blowtorch to universities and defunding courses that don’t meet the grade.
Jason Clare has admitted that on his watch we now have a full blown teacher shortage crisis but regrettably he has done very little to get more teachers into the classroom.