Twenty public school students will form a group of student councillors who will speak for the more than 300,000 public school students and offer the Education and Training Minister a student’s perspective on policy and reform.
Premier Mark McGowan and Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery today announced the WA Student Council, which will be in place from Term 2 next year and is currently in the planning stages.
The council will represent the diversity of students across the State. Students will offer their views to the Minister on education policy and reform, and represent the interests of all public school students in WA.
Ten students from Year 10 and another 10 Year 11 students from each region in the State will make up the council.
Some of their tasks will include attending ministerial meetings, liaising with schools and students in their regions, attending student leadership activities, and providing feedback to the Department of Education on various initiatives.
All students will be encouraged to apply through an official selection process opening mid-Term 4.
Youth ambassadors, recent student leadership alumni, and public secondary school leaders and teachers are being consulted as part of the planning process.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
“I want our young West Australians to have a voice and be involved in the important decisions that affect their education.
“Establishing a WA Student Council will allow the interests of students to be represented and give us greater opportunities to respond to their needs.
“It is important to work together on critical matters that impact on our youth.”
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“The new WA Student Council will play an important role in giving me a student’s point-of-view on crucial issues in education.
“WA is a diverse State so students will be selected who represent each region to ensure the voices of all students will be heard.
“I look forward to working with our new councillors from Term 2, next year.”
As stated by Youth Minister Dave Kelly:
“It’s really important that young people in Western Australia feel they are part of society and that their voices are heard.
“The establishment of the new WA Student Council provides another important platform for young people’s views to be considered and inform decisions that affect them.”
