2018-08-26
Australian Greens Education Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi,has said that need and equity, not desperate electoral strategies, should guide schools funding in Australia and has called on the Federal Government to reverse its Gonski 2.0 education cuts.
Senator Faruqi said:
"Equity and need, not marginal seats, should determine our education policy.
"Funding of our schools should be based on what is needed for our kids to have a world class education, not based on desperate political and electoral strategies. Our schools are not political footballs.
"The elephant in the room is public schools. If Scott Morrison wants to fix school funding, he could start by restoring the almost two billion cut from schools this year and next. Public schools are bearing the overwhelming brunt of these cuts which will leave 87% of public schools below the minimum level of funding needed to meet the educational needs of their students.
"The Greens position is that government funding of non-government schools should take into account the resources of each individual school, parental socio-economic status and the school's capacity to generate income from all sources, including fees and other contributions.
"The Liberals should stop trying to cut political deals and just commit to a system where schools funding is based on need and equity to enable high quality, inclusive and responsive schools.Public schools in particular have been disadvantaged by the Liberal Government and must be supported to reach the Schooling Resource Standard " she concluded.