Everyone deserves a quality education, regardless of their background, socioeconomic position and their location. A strong public education system is key to building a fair, successful, and cohesive society from which we all benefit. Our education system should be free, inclusive and fair.
Aims
The Greens (WA) want:
- an education system that replicates world best practice, equips people for 21st century social, environmental and economic challenges, and respects diverse beliefs and values
- to transition to an accessible and universal common education system that breaks down the class and social inequalities resulting from the Government and Non-Government (Catholic and Independent) education systems
- a fair, needs-based, government funded education model that is fit for purpose and adequately resourced to ensure equity across all phases of the system
Measures
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:
Integrated Education System
- ensure that the state government has overall responsibility for education finances and staffing, in order to:
- maximise accountability of the state over individual school principals to deliver best-practice in education, student wellbeing and teacher support;
- support sufficient financial and career incentives that rewards teachers who are prepared to teach in more challenging environments;
- eliminates harmful competition between schools and the entrenchment of school disadvantage in some geographic locations;
- eliminate the privatisation of any aspects of public education.
- support programs that aim to engage parents and the local community in the schooling of children, including:
- supporting parents who choose to educate their children at home or in other settings, provided they are able to ensure balanced education and socialisation for their children
- allowing educational communities to respond to local opportunities for learning provided it doesn't disadvantage children
- providing community input on training and education issues, through independent advisory bodies to Government which are based on a common and acknowledged curriculum and maintaining a secular framework
- provide equitable access to a quality education for all students through:
- supporting the use of a range of inclusive pedagogical approaches to support the different learning styles of students in Government and Non-Government schools
- funding schools based on the needs of students, including the needs to sufficiently addressing disadvantage
- providing specialised support for disabled students (see also The Greens (WA) Disability Policy) First Nations students (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples Policy), and students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities (see also The Greens (WA) Cultural Diversity policy), ensuring no segregation of these students
- removal of fees and other additional charges, including for uniforms and stationery, for students in Government schools and Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
- create a well-rounded curriculum that includes:
- prioritising the history, culture and contemporary experience of First Nations people in the school curriculum (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)
- provision of comprehensive education on sex, consent and respectful relationships at all levels of schooling
- programs in primary and secondary schools that foster acceptance and understanding of diverse sexualities, genders and of intersex people and diverse sex characteristics (see also The Greens (WA) LGBTQIA+ policy)
- ensure that schools and curriculum material are free from corporate sponsorship and influence including the use of sponsors’ material or logos
- embedding education for environmental and social responsibility within the curriculum
- provide incentives and support for schools and colleges to reduce consumption and waste, implement energy efficiency measures and use renewable energy sources (see also The Greens (WA) Beyond Waste policy)
Support for Teachers
- support initiatives which encourage high quality teachers to work in schools servicing disadvantaged populations
- set the salaries and conditions of educators at a level that recognises their professionalism, training and the importance of their work, provides secure career structures, and encourages committed and capable people into the teaching profession at all levels of the education system
- provide ongoing professional development for educators at all levels, ensuring that:
- educators have a key role in developing and reviewing training packages
- the history, culture and contemporary experience of First Nations people is included in the training and professional development of educators (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)
- fund more allied professionals in schools, including but not limited to Education Assistants, youth workers, IT technicians, laboratory technicians and corporate service managers;
- increase the amount of key worker housing, including Government Regional Officers Housing stock, and ensure that they are equitably distributed across workers in different sectors and regional areas (see also The Greens (WA) Housing and Homelessness policy)
Student Empowerment
- encourage participation by students at age-appropriate levels in decision making within educational institutions
- increase state funding for scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially students from rural and remote communities
- support the increase of apprenticeship places in rural and regional areas or areas of skill shortages via flexible delivery and tailored courses (see also The Greens (WA) Regions policy)
- fund diverse adult community education and training programs to foster a culture of lifelong learning
- provide adult literacy and numeracy education programs
- provide high-quality, ongoing, free and accessible English as an Additional Language programs and other appropriate training, for people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Further Education
- increase state funding for research in universities
- ensure vocational education and training (VET) is publicly funded and primarily provided through the public TAFE system
- ensure VET funding priorities balance student needs, employer demand and provides skills in satisfying and sustainable employment
- phase out the public funding of privately provided VET where TAFE can provide the same educational and training outcomes
- reject competitive tendering and entitlement-based funding for TAFE
- address the over-casualisation of TAFE teaching
- subsidise travel for country students to TAFE colleges
(see also the Australian Greens Education policy)
Education policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2024