The future of Australia will always be reliant on the next generation, and their futures are reliant on a good education. What hope do they have of this when there is a clear lack of essential funding of QLDs education system. Anna Bligh requested feedback on her idea of using the next resources windfall to prepare accounts for children starting school in 5 years time. Unfortunately, Ms Bligh, this is five years too late. Schools are asking parents to supply them with copy paper, tissues and whiteboard markers. The promised laptops are coming with massive price tags attached, despite each one being paid for by the federal government, showing high level fundraising being done by schools in your state. Formals and HSC certificates are being held to ransom until VOLUNTARY contributions are paid.
These are not the actions of first world public education. In stark contrast, NSW schools have much smaller voluntary contributions. All books are provided to the student by the school. There are no requests for copy paper and tissues. The Australian Government funded school laptops are provided to ALL students from year nine at no extra charge and as an educational incentive, if they remain I school and achieve their HSC they are allowed to KEEP the laptop.
I simply cannot fathom how such things are possible in one state and not so in the other without there being a serious deficiency in school funding in QLD. Or perhaps once the money has reach the department there is an incredible level of poor spending leading to essential supplies being overlooked. Surely no one in the upper echelons of educational bureaucracy is naive enough to believe a school can function without copy paper.
For this upcoming election, it is already obvious to most that we will be treated to the usual politicking, where daily we are told what the other party can't do or hasn't done. I think the Australian public made it abundantly clear in 2007 and again in 2010 that we no longer respond to this form of campaigning. We as voters would appreciate being treated with the dignity and respect of having an education, one that our children are being denied.
Queensland has been lagging behind other states for some time. The final addition of a Prep year was a step forward. Are young Queensland minds so under valued that their education is not a priority? A school so underfunded that it cannot afford tissues and whiteboard markers is a sign that there is a funding issue. But when all schools are asking for parents to provide essential supplies, it shows a government with willful indifference for public education.
By 24th of March, the voters and parents of Queensland would appreciate a substantial reply to the very simple question of, why are our schools so underfunded? and what are you going to do to fix it?
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