The Australian Education Union today called on all governments to commit to ending the underfunding of public schools as a matter of urgency saying the future of the teaching profession is at stake along with the quality of education delivered across the nation.
AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe welcomed news today that WA is going to be the first state to commit to fully funding public schools by 2026.
But Ms Haythorpe said there needed to be a bigger investment than the one proposed by the Commonwealth and the WA Government to achieve that goal.
The Australian Education Union Victorian Branch is urgently calling on both state and federal governments to stand up for students and educators in public schools in 2024 and fulfill their promises to deliver full funding for all public schools.
It has been revealed that bilateral agreements between Federal, State and Territory governments were signed without being publicly announced last year, extending them for the 2024 school year and effectively negating any increase to the Commonwealth’s share of Schooling Resource Funding until 2025.
Governments will make little or no progress towards ending the underfunding of public schools in 2024 despite being warned by their own Expert Panel that it is “urgent and critical” and the first step towards ensuring all students receive the support they need.
It has been revealed that extended bilateral agreements between the Albanese Government and each State and Territory government were signed without publicity in November and December.
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.
Education ministers meeting today in Sydney must make ending the underfunding of public schools their top priority so teachers can increase the support and opportunities students receive.
Australian Education Union Federal president Correna Haythorpe said the Albanese government should lead the way and contribute at least 25% of the funding required to bring every public school to the minimum standard.
The Australian Education Union Victorian branch is calling on the Victorian government and Education Minister Ben Carroll to fight for a substantial increase in federal government investment in public schools at the next meeting of education ministers on Monday.
Australia has defied a global trend of declining scores in the international PISA test but an alarming increase in teacher shortages, and entrenched achievement gaps between students from different backgrounds and locations, make clear the critical importance of full funding of public schools.
AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said PISA is one of three major international tests that Australian children sit. The other two, PIRLS and TIMSS, show long-term improvements in average scores in reading, science and maths.
The 2022 PISA results reveal:
The Australian Education Union says the interim report of the Senate Inquiry into increasing disruption in Australian school classrooms has failed to capture and address the complex issues that impact on teaching and learning in schools.
Federal president Correna Haythorpe said the report ignores the impact that the deeply entrenched and significant underfunding of billions of dollars every year has on public schools.
A new report calls for an end to the school funding crisis that has left public schools in every state and the NT underfunded while private schools are overfunded by hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
The report by education economist Adam Rorris found:
Several of Australia’s prominent community leaders will join the Australian Education Union at Parliament House today for a meeting with the Minister for Education, The Hon Jason Clare, to discuss the urgent need for the Federal Government to commit to their election promise to fully fund public schools.