3/2/03
More than $28million has been spent over the Christmas school holidays on completing new schools, installing air-cooling, and finishing major additions, upgrades and maintenance for more than 300 existing schools for the start of the 2003 school year on February 3.
Education Minister Alan Carpenter said nearly 800 students would start their school year in one of three new schools located in Bunbury, Mindarie and the Yalga Jinna Aboriginal community (125km northwest of Meekatharra) which were completed during the summer break and built at a total cost of more than $34million.
Major additions included $1.2million worth of new classrooms at Dunsborough Primary School, a major $2million upgrade at Gosnells Senior High School and $2.47million on the final stages of Kinross College.
"Almost $5million has been spent on 20 schools in regional and rural Western Australia over the summer break," Mr Carpenter said.
"In addition, more than $8.7million was spent on 19 schools in the metropolitan area, including nearly $5.6million to complete three new schools."
More than 250 schools across the State have shared in $4.5million worth of maintenance work, including internal and external repairs and re-sealing of bitumen areas.
In addition, by June this year almost every secondary school in WA will benefit from replacement floor coverings and external painting under the Government's recently announced $6million 'Operation Refresh' Program.
Mr Carpenter said $7.75million was spent on the State Government's commitment to its Early Childhood Program which provides early childhood education for four-year-olds.
"Over December-January, the remainder of these annual funds were used to finalise the construction and installation of 34 purpose-built transportable pre-primary centres and 14 modification projects," he said.
The new schools are:
- Eaton Community College in Bunbury - an $18million state-of-the-art facility with more than 350 students in Years Seven to Nine expected to start on February 3. The college will cater for Year 10 students in 2004;
- Mindarie Senior College - a $15million facility for students in Years 11 and 12, with more than 325 students in Year 11 starting their school year in the new surrounds. Year 12 students will be catered for in 2004; and
- a new $900,000 school for the Yalga Jinna Aboriginal Community, situated 125km northwest of Meekatharra will open for the school year on February 10. The school will be administered from the Meekatharra District High School and will encompass the educational aims of the Yalga Jinna Community. Up to 30 children ranging in age from pre-primary to secondary students will attend at any one time.
Work is continuing on the $5million replacement primary school in Beeliar (Stanford Gardens) due to open in Term Two and expected to house more than 250 students from Kindergarten to Year Seven.
In addition, $1.6million was spent as part of the Government's ongoing air-cooling program with 15 schools starting the school year in greater comfort.
This brings to 49 the number of schools which will have been air-cooled as part of the Government's election commitment to air-cool 61 schools in the foothills and the eastern parts of the metropolitan area.
The remaining 12 schools will be air-cooled by February 2004.
Minister's office: 9213 6800
