Benefits from school rationalisation

30/5/94

Considerable educational benefits will stem from decisions by parents to agree to close or amalgamate schools.

Education Minister Norman Moore said today he was confident that once they had heard the options from the Education Department, many parents would acknowledge these benefits and agree to changes.

Mr Moore said the benefits of school rationalisation to the quality of education of students could include:

·       Single-year classes in bigger schools, instead of the combination of up to three years in some smaller schools;

·       additional classrooms and extra resources for schools which take any displaced children, because allocations to schools are based on strict formulae linked to student numbers;

·       a wider range of subjects in bigger schools;

·       the introduction of new subjects and courses because of a school's increased student population;

·       additional teachers and resources;

·       increased or improved specialist teaching facilities;

·       new or improved bus services for country schools; and -

·       access to greater technology.

The Minister said he had information that parties working to derail and undermine the school rationalisation process were planning to circulate yet another bogus list prior to the official announcement which would be made by mid-June.

"Any so-called schools closure list which may surface prior to my official announcement would be simply another case of misrepresentation and distortion of what should be a non-political community issue," Mr Moore said.

"A process has been developed to make it virtually impossible for any official list to be 'leaked' so any other list circulated prematurely will be nothing more than a guess, possibly based on the original unauthorised published list and the finalised criteria."

The Minister said it would be wrong to term the list of schools to be further reviewed as a 'hit list' because parents now had the final say.

"This school rationalisation process is all about a win-win stituation, where the quality of each student's education is upgraded, and the Education Department can manage its resources better for the benefit of the whole community."

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444 or 222 9595