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Media releases
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
A timely reminder
Member for Lingiari Warren Snowdon said the release today of the
Australian Education Union’s Education is the Key was a timely reminder
that the nation needed to support education as a key element in the future
of remote Aboriginal communities.
Mr Snowdon said the report was a damning summary of the years of neglect,
which at the same time offered serious options for a way ahead.
‘The report highlights many of the things I’ve been talking about for more
than 10 years,’ he said.
‘Among them is the decision made by successive Country Liberal Party
governments not to provide educational infrastructure to remote Aboriginal
community schools.
‘It’s true that since 2001 the Territory Labor Government has been trying
to meet the need within the limits of budget constraints.
‘But the fact remains that there’s a lack of the very things people in
urban communities take for granted - well-maintained and well-resourced
school buildings and a stable workforce.
‘What the report also highlights is that, if the current intervention into
remote communities succeeds, there’ll be an even greater demand for the
proper infrastructure in remote community schools
‘Sound buildings, proper equipment, skilled and experienced teachers who
will stay in communities are the least we can offer if we expect full
attendance and outcomes that compare with urban schools.
‘Federal Labor has already said that if we win government, we’ll boost
teacher numbers with another 200 teachers to meet the needs of the 2000 or
so Aboriginal kids who aren’t enrolled in schools.
‘We’ll make sure every four year old has access to pre-school, as well as
spending money on specific intensive literacy courses to halve the gap in
reading writing and numeracy within 10 years.
‘We’ll be making other announcements on education and we believe that that
this is a key area in which we can all support remote Aboriginal
communities,’ Mr Snowdon said.
Ends.
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