PEET funding for Gnowangerup students' dingy-building project

20/12/95

A project that will teach a group of disadvantaged Gnowangerup students to build and maintain their own dinghies, is to receive $13,000 in special funding from the Public Education Endowment Trust.

As part of the project the students will take on all the responsibilities of planning excursions such as fishing trips as a means of learning valuable life skills.

Education Minister Norman Moore, who is chairman of the trust, said today that the project was one of 20 educational programs developed by schools and other organisations throughout the State that would receive funds from the trust in 1996.

The trust, which will distribute more than $112,000 next year, was established in 1909 to support outstanding educational programs that have the potential to help a wide cross-section of students.

Mr Moore said the recreational dinghy project had been devised for students who lived in the unique Muir Hill Annexe of the Gnowangerup Agricultural School.

The students, most of whom had been from disadvantaged backgrounds or at risk of dropping out, now lived in an environment as close as possible to a normal household so they could learn the necessary skills for independent living.

"They budget and shop for their food, cook, clean, wash, iron and participate in work experience with the local community," the Minister said.

"Most of them come from homes where family life has been dysfunctional, or disrupted.

"Without the advantage of a traditional home life, they have not had the opportunity to master basic skills and most do not have any concept of how to fill recreation time in a constructive and enjoyable manner."

Mr Moore said the recreational dinghy project could become a valuable tool in the overall program, providing not only for recreation, but also for motivating students to take on responsibility.

The encouragement of leadership, trust and team work would be important benefits, alongside physical skills.

Staff of the agricultural school and Westerberg Boat Building, an Albany company, would work in conjunction with the students.

They planned to build three heavy duty aluminium dinghies and school fundraising had been undertaken to pay for the motors.

Other projects to receive funding form the trust in 1996 include:

+          South Lakes Primary School:  $14,000 for a community liaison project aimed at alleviating behavioural and learning problems among students by improving communication with parents;

+          Geraldton Regional College of TAFE:  $20,000 for a program to establish links between the four high schools in the Geraldton region, the Geraldton TAFE and local industry, that will encourage the development of new vocational education opportunities;

+          Education Technology Unit of the Education Department:  $10,000 for the development of a multi-media package for use as a teaching tool in schools throughout the State;

+          Burbridge School, Koondoola:  $14,000 for the establishment of a sensory environment facility to enhance the educational programs of students with disabilities; and -

+          Busselton Senior High School:  $5,950 for the installation of a telematics centre to enable students with special talents to have access to the Education Department's Secondary Special Placements Program, without having to move to Perth.

Media contact:  Anabel Gomez 321 1444 or 222 9595