Education

The Principles

All Australian students have the right to equitable, high quality and accessible education.

High quality education for all students, intrinsically valuable as a search for truth, is a critical investment that Australia makes for its future.

Education promotes both individual values and the public good, the benefits of which enhance the whole community.

Parents have the primary right and obligation to ensure an adequate education for their children.

Both the Commonwealth and State Governments play a critical role in the provision of funds and the delivery of services for educational institutions.

To provide adequate protection for all educational institutions, funding needs to be stable, long term in perspective and commitment, and to provide protection for all sectors in education.

Equitable distribution of resources takes into account the general educational requirements of each student, as well as the needs of those students disadvantaged by social, economic, geographic, cultural or physical factors.

Teachers need to be valued for the critical role they play as educators and role models, in assisting students to reach their full potential and to develop the skills necessary for a fulfilling life for themselves and their society.

The provision of adequate resources for teacher education and ongoing teacher development is essential for the provision of high quality education.

The Issues

1. The Commonwealth allocation for Education Funding rose in the early 1990s from 37% to 44%. Since that time, however, it has fallen to 42%, so that during the past ten years, there has been a substantial reduction in funding in real terms to all Australian educational institutions, from pre-school to university. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Catalogue No.5204)

2. It has been shown that Australian public expenditure on education is equal fourth lowest across all OECD countries. In 1999, general Government outlays were shown to be 32.3%. In contrast, Austria, France, Denmark and Sweden have rates of outlay in excess of 50% of GDP. (OECD 2000b)

3. The proportion of students continuing on to post-compulsory education has decreased in the past ten years. Australia is one of the few countries in the OECD where school retention to Year 12 declined during the 1990s. (Eldridge Report 2001)

4. There is a chronic teacher shortage, particularly in specific subject areas, exacerbated by the low status of, and limited career paths in, the teaching profession. (Deans of Education Study 1999)

5. Specific cuts in TAFE funding, in Abstudy, in Adult Migrant Education Service have negatively impacted on disadvantaged groups, especially those in greatest need, and those with the least powerful voices. (TAFE Report 2001)

6. Trends towards the transformation of education into a private consumer commodity are undermining the fundamental goals of education.

7. As government funding for research has decreased, universities and research institutes have become increasingly dependent on funding from Multinationals, who then gain greater control over goals and outcomes.

8. Increasing litigation is impacting negatively on the teaching profession.

9. In publicly funded higher education there has been a decline in real expenditure per equivalent full time student unit. (AVCC Funding Tables 2000)

Alternatives

1. An increased emphasis in government policy, statements and action on the value of education for the individual, the community, the nation and the world of the twenty-first century;

2. A commitment by Australian Governments to the adequate provision of funding:

• · comparable to OECD standards
• meeting the needs of all students, especially those disadvantaged by the cuts of the past twenty years (eg rural, Aboriginal, ESL)
• providing equitable access to new technologies to overcome the digital divide between the information rich and the information poor
• targeting improved educational outcomes for disadvantaged students, especially indigenous students and students with disabilities
• compensating for differences of social status, material wealth, geographic location and resource levels in schools
• providing for the professional development of teachers to meet rapidly changing demands;

3. The deliberate development of policies to promote the intrinsic worth of education and to reduce its commodification;

4. The establishment and maintenance of programs which make participation in education an attractive option for young people of post-compulsory school age, and the particular targeting of students who are currently not completing Year 12 because of socio-economic reasons. The critical and comprehensive Eldridge Report (2001) calls for the structural redesign of schooling, career guidance, additional resources for vocational education and training, employment assistance and income support arrangements;

5. The fostering of networks to link stakeholders and provide genuine educational choices which cater for specific student needs;

6. The promotion of adequate consultative processes with all educational sectors;

7. The development of inbuilt processes to guarantee the stability, predictability and long-term protection of specific purpose programs.