EDUCATION Week has arrived, and it is also Gonski Week as teachers and educators continue pushing for the full allocation of the funding suggestion by the Gonski education review.
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Local school teachers are continuing their Gonski campaign during Education Week as they push to ensure the Gonski needs-based model is not dismantled by the Abbott government.
Former NSW director-general of education, Ken Boston, recently spoke to the NSW Teachers Federation and argued for federal and state governments to fully fund the Gonski model .
That would ensure all Australian schools receive the minimum resources they need to give all students equal educational opportunities.
International data on educational performance indicates that Australia has deteriorated since the Howard years, according to Ulladulla High School teacher and NSW Teachers Federation representative Gabrielle Curry.
She pointed to the educational gap between the top students, predominantly from wealthy, and the bottom students largely from disadvantaged areas.
“Gonski aims to address this gap; but it is not just about funding,” she said.
“Gonski is about the reimagining of education in Australian with changes in priorities, approaches and objectives.”
Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne has publicly voiced his commitment and allegiance to the Catholic education sector, saying that federal governments had historically funded the private sector while the state governments funded public schools.
The Gonski model has the federal government funding 65 per cent of the education budget, with state government providing the other 35 per cent, with the funding supposed to be sector-
blind and needs- based.
The Gonski model produces a more even playing field, with a base amount of money for each school and extra loadings according to need.
Along with dismantling key components of the Gonski model, Mr Pyne has a four-point mantra for education in Australia - teacher quality, parental engagement, school autonomy and a robust curriculum.
Both sides of government can be blamed for the situation we are now in, Gabrielle said, but “The nonsensical arguments put up by the Abbott government cannot go unchallenged”.
“Ken Boston made the point that we don’t often speak about quality doctors or dentists, but rather a quality health system,” she said.
“He said that instead of talking about teacher quality, it would be better to talk about quality education.”
Mr Boston also spoke about the importance of parental engagement, Gabrielle said, but, “Both teacher quality and parental engagement require money and resourcing and Gonski is the prerequisite for this to occur.”
Gabrielle said there was clear evidence showing increased finding made a huge difference to student performance.
“Funding can be accessed via the internet and shows, through many research and scholarly articles, that beyond any doubt extra spending does have a positive impact on student performance,” she said.
“It is unequivocal – extra funding makes a difference!
“Equality of opportunity is what Gonski is about.
“High educational attainment that is based on ability and hard work rather than being purchased, is what Gonski is about.
“A quality public education system, available and accessed by all children, is a public-good that benefits all of society,” she said.
“We want our next federal government to be a pro-Gonski government whoever they are!”