Every Australian deserves a quality education, regardless of their background and their location. A strong public education system is key to investing in building a fair, successful, and cohesive society from which we all benefit.
Our education system should be free, inclusive and fair. From preschool to university and TAFE, we demand quality education that is accessible to all. Funding must be directed where it is needed most.
Aims
The Greens (WA) want:
- a first class education system that equals the best in the world
- a free, equitable education system that is accessible to all Western Australians
- 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
- a world class system that equips people for 21st century social, environmental and economic challenges and respects Greens Charter principles and values
Measures
The Greens (WA) will initiate and support legislation and actions that:
- ensure that the state government has overall responsibility for education finances and staffing because centralised decision making:
- maximises accountability of the state over individual school principals;
- supports a system-wide transfer system 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;
- minimises the risk of privatisation of key aspects of public education.
- provide equitable access to a quality education for all students
- abolish fees for students in public schools and Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
- fund schools based on the needs of students, including additional funding to address disadvantage
- support initiatives which encourage high quality teachers to work in schools servicing disadvantaged populations
- provide specialised support for students with special needs, those at educational risk, First Nations students, and students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities (see also The Greens (WA) Cultural Diversity policy)
- include the history, culture and contemporary experience of First Nation people in the school curriculum, and the training and professional development of educators (see also The Greens (WA) First Nations Peoples policy)
- 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
- ensure that schools and curriculum material are free from corporate sponsorship and influence including the use of sponsors’ material or logos
- support programs that aim to engage parents in the schooling of children
- allow educational communities to respond to local needs when this does not deprive children of the opportunity to achieve equitable outcomes
- support the use of a range of inclusive pedagogical approaches to support the different learning styles of students in public and independent schools
- encourage participation by students at age-appropriate levels in decision making within educational institutions
- enable parents to educate their children at home or in other settings, provided they demonstrate the commitment and ability to ensure balanced education and socialisation for their children
- embed 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)
- 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
- ensure educators have a key role in developing and reviewing training packages
- 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)
- subsidise travel for country students to TAFE colleges
- provide adequate community input through independent advisory bodies to government on training and education issues, while maintaining best practice and content based on a common and acknowledged curriculum and maintaining a secular framework
- fund diverse adult community education and training programs to foster a culture of lifelong learning
- provide adult literacy and numeracy education programs
- increase state funding for research in universities and for scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, especially students from rural and remote communities
- provide education on consent and respectful relationships and sex, gender and sexuality diversity with comprehensive sex education
(see also the Australian Greens Education policy)
Education policy ratified by The Greens (WA) in 2020