THE State government has pledged $80 million across four years to rural and remote public schools, to bridge the gap between rural, remote, and metropolitan schools.
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State Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli announced the Rural and Remote Education Blueprint for action last week.
“Principals in our most remote schools will now be able to permanently employ high performing temporary teachers and staff, they will also be able to offer 10-week trial programs, $10,000 recruitment incentives and rental subsidies,” Mr Piccoli said.
“These incentives are in addition to the new 20 rural scholarships, and 10 cadetships and internships to start in 2014.”
Mr Piccoli said $8 million would be provided to establish a new “virtual” secondary school, giving high school students in rural and remote areas the opportunity to study specialist subjects not available in their own schools.
“In 2014, existing centres in Dubbo and Wagga Wagga will be extended to provide expertise in such areas as education psychology, school attendance and student health, and new centres will be established in Broken Hill and Tamworth.
“By the end of 2016 there will be a total of 15 specialist centres operating in rural and remote NSW.”
The Rural and Remote Education Blueprint was based on consultation with principals and student leaders, along with evidence from Australia and abroad.
Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association of Australia Louth branch president Deborah Nielsen “Ballycastle”, Bourke, said the announcement sounded positive, but the devil would be in the detail.
She said the creation of a virtual secondary school was great as it created another choice for families.
She hoped however that it wouldn’t replace or downgrade the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) scheme which was established in 1973 to help geographically isolated families’ secondary students, who cannot attend an appropriate State high school daily, with the cost of boarding.
She said at between $7000 and $8000 per annum the AIC allowance had long fallen behind the real costs of the boarding component of a secondary school, but it had made a huge difference to education levels of the outback and continued to do so.
Mrs Nielsen said she was pleased the government would spend $30 million across four years to provide new incentives to attract and retain quality teachers and school leaders to remote schools like Louth Public School.
“The acquiring of quality teachers and retaining them is very important. We need committed people more than technology.”
Mrs Nielsen said while distance education was a “marvelous system”, there needed to be optional training and a nationally recognised accreditation for parents who taught children via distance education.
“It hardly seems fair that a family forgo a second income for years – they should at least be considered for some recognised qualification and be renumerated.
“I’m a trained teacher and I’ve taught my own children, and while it is the most rewarding thing I’ve done, it is also the hardest.”
Mrs Nielsen said parents teaching their children on remote properties don’t receive a teaching wage or any recognition at the end of their children’s schooling.
She said another positive in the announcement was the government’s financial commitment to establish 15 specialist centres which offered co-ordinated inter-agency health and well-being services for rural and remote students.
