Fine tune Gonski Report says ACJS

December 1, 2013 by J-Wire Staff
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The Australian Council of Jewish Schools is in favour of the current Liberal government fine tuning the Gonski Report.

acjsThe ACJS has made the following statement:

In 2013 the Australian Government developed its funding model, utilising the Gonski Report principles of providing additional funding on the basis of need to overcome 6 perceived educational disadvantages. It was legislated for introduction in the 2014 school year, but Schools are yet to be advised of their 2014 entitlement.

The Australian Council of Jewish Schools (ACJS) applauds the principle of equitable funding that underpinned the Gonski Report. Nevertheless, the ACJS expressed reservations as to the modelling, particularly in the determination of the ratio between base funding and funding for educational disadvantage and the methodology used to determine the 6 areas of educational disadvantage, including the area of students with special needs where in some circumstances the funding remains inequitable.

While the principles of the Gonski recommendations are commendable and the principles should be maintained, the model and methodology introduced by the then Government should not be set in stone and are capable of refinement and improvement.

The Australian Council of Jewish Schools welcomes the Coalition Government’s confirmation of its commitment to maintain the additional funding levels. The ACJS also welcomes the review by the Coalition Government of the funding model and looks forward to the opportunity to consult with Government in the development of a model that better reflects the needs of students in an appropriate manner so as to bring equity, certainty and stability to the funding of all schools.

 

Comments

2 Responses to “Fine tune Gonski Report says ACJS”
  1. Anna says:

    Has anybody watched last week’s Lateline segment on education in Finland? If you have seen it, did you notice the wonderful classrooms and the report on the standard of education in that country? For those who have not seen the report, well let me explain: There are no private schools in Finland and yet their system is justifiably the envy of the world. No fees to pay and everybody gets the same high standard of education. In fact, Finnish education is a national treasure. And the Finns think that their system should still be improved! Our system is based on the notion that tax payers who cannot afford to send their own children to private schools must subsidize the expensive tuition of those children, whose parents can. I am all for scholarships for gifted and needy children, the more the better. The Gonski report, however, was all about giving every Australian child a fair go. If the coalition is serious about fine tuning the Gonski report, then the right thing to do would be to take some funding away from wealthy independent schools and transfer it to the needy public school sector. Wishful thinking, indeed. I wonder how one says “pigs will fly” in Finnish.

  2. Liat Nagar says:

    The ACJS statement is so general in articulation as to render it either ambiguous or open to interpretation. I am most definitely not into attacking the ACJS,and understand that its particular platform would have its own interests at heart, as well as the continuing excellent education of Jewish schoolchildren. However, I do believe that the foremost principle behind any Australian funding model for schools should be better development of facilities and opportunities for equitable education in the public school sector. That should come first, before anything else.

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