EXPERT PANEL SAYS FULL FUNDING OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS URGENT AND CRITICAL

An independent expert education panel has made clear to governments the full funding of public schools is “urgent and critical” and a precondition for improving results, equity and student wellbeing.

Released today, the report of the expert panel says 98% of public schools remain resourced below the government Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) with implications for educational and wellbeing outcomes and teacher attraction and retention.

The government summary of the report states: “The panel was clear in the report that full funding to 100 per cent of the SRS is a critical prerequisite for successful education reform and student learning and wellbeing improvement across the country.”

The report states that “all jurisdictions should fully fund schools within a comparable timeframe” and the issue is all the more urgent “because of the full funding arrangements that already exist in the non-government sector”.

Australian Education Union Federal President Correna Haythorpe said the expert panel had expressed the urgent need for full funding in the strongest possible terms and it was now up to the Prime Minister to work with State and Territory Governments to deliver this vital investment.

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