let's raise the standard in the education debate

AISV, 4 September 2008

Statement by Michelle Green, Chief Executive, Association of Independent Schools of Victoria

Ignorance, misunderstanding and wilful distortion of facts cloud important debates about Australia’s education reform agenda.

Robust discussion by education policy makers should be based on more than, ‘government schools, good; private schools, bad’.

Let’s take time out to agree on basic facts. To determine fair ways of funding government and non-government schools, for example, we need complete and accurate figures and ‘apples with apples’ comparisons.

Many Australians don’t know how much of their federal and state government tax is allocated to government or non-government schools. Common misconceptions about Australia’s education system appear to be as ingrained as they are wrong.

It’s unfair to promote inaccurate generalities about parents’ motives for schools they choose. It’s also offensive and inaccurate to suggest that middle class parents are escaping their responsibilities by enrolling their children in non-government schools.

In fact, for each child and for each school year that a Victorian parent chooses a non-government school, taxpayers save nearly $5000. These savings are available for use throughout the education sector.

The Prime Minister said recently he wants parents to vote with their feet as far as schooling is concerned – and in Victoria they are: more than four out of ten students in secondary school in Victoria are at non-government schools. Parents voting with their feet and their wallets should not be penalised.

Total federal and state government spending for each Victorian government school student in 2005-06 was $10,352 and total government spending for each non-government school student was almost half that figure – $5,614.

Independent schools’ educational achievements are realised at much less cost to the public than in the government sector. Independent school parents pick up the difference and with no money for independent schools in the last Victorian State Budget, parents are going to have to make an even bigger sacrifice. For every $8 the Victorian Government gives in funding for a government school student, it provides $1 for a student in a non-government school.

It does not help the discussion when opponents of funding for non-government schools commission research promoting half the story; the direct financial contribution to independent schools made by the federal government while ignoring funding provided to government schools by state governments. With state government funding included, government schools receive a far greater share of public funding than non-government schools. No child at an independent school receives more government funding than a child at a government school.

It’s simplistic and incorrect to say that rich kids attend independent schools and poor kids go to government schools. A Senate inquiry showed that in 2001, 476,000 students from families described as ‘well off’ attended government schools and 399,000 ‘well off’ students went to non-government schools.

We welcome the federal government’s commitment to maintain funding for schools based on the socio-economic status (SES) formula that assesses the financial situation of parents, not schools, because it is transparent and flexible, changing as the community changes. We will work to review the model so all schools receive a fair level of funding.

Communities with a higher SES figure are considered more able to support their school and the school receives less government funding. In Victoria more than 33,000 students attend independent schools that have an SES rating at or below the average 100. This means there is a substantial number of families from a lower socioeconomic background who choose to send their children to independent schools.

The importance of the SES rating of schools and their educational achievements can be over-played. Teaching quality is of greater importance and teachers need to be valued more highly.

This showed up in the McKinsey report and research by AISV. The McKinsey report said an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers and that the best education systems cater for the learning needs of every child. On this assessment, additional educational resources, which we all support, should assist teachers to improve their professional practice in the classroom.

The federal government’s focus on transparency and reporting has been highlighted recently. Independent schools are at the forefront of detailed reporting, fully complying with federal and state government requirements. Independent schools welcome transparency – we have nothing to hide. But increased reporting will only be valuable if the information collected actually contributes to better teaching and school leadership.

Government schools and non-government schools alike don’t want another layer of reporting to provide information to sit in departmental files and we don’t want to have to report twice, once to the state government and then again to the Commonwealth.

Today, governments are recognising that Australians want more money, not less invested in educating all young people at whatever school they attend.

Opponents of funding for non-government schools should join us to lift the standard of the education reform debate so together we can identify policies that will provide the education that our children need to secure their future and that of Australia.

 

 

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