The Public Education Convention

Date: 07 September 2001

Digital impression of the SuperDome

The Public Education Convention on September 8 is the chance to get loud for public education.

Your attendance will make it a great day for public education -- be one of the more than 10,000 supporters of public education will gather in the SuperDome at Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, Sydney.

Politicians who have accepted an invitation to speak at the Convention include Ross Cameron MP representing the Federal Government, Opposition leader Kim Beazley, Greens Senator Bob Brown and Australian Democrat Lyn Allison.

They have been requested to speak about their party's commitment to public education and how their party will ensure public education in Australia is properly funded by a Federal Government.

They have been advised that a period of time will be set aside to allow for questions following their speeches.

In 2001, the Federal Government in particular seems to have forgotten that every student is entitled to the highest quality education possible within our public schools and TAFE colleges. Our presence in huge numbers on September 8 in support of public education will be the best thing we can do in this federal election year.

We need to remind federal politicians of their responsibility to fund public education as their first priority.

Recently I had occasion to read an old Department of Education document, "Curriculum for Primary Schools, English" (1967), issued by the then Director-General of Education, Harold Wyndham. The very first paragraph of the document under the heading of "Statement of Guiding Aims and Underlying Principles" reads:

"Each year brings to the schools the future citizens of our democracy. A great variety of children has to be served. They have widely differing backgrounds; they differ in their physical, intellectual, and social endowments, and in their emotional responses. But whether rich or poor, strong or weak, bright or dull, shy or confident, one fact stands out with striking clarity; they meet as a social group, and their subsequent experiences in this group will influence their lifelong attitudes and ideas concerning ways of living and working together in a democratic society."

Even allowing for the passage of time these words are a wonderful affirmation of the place of public education in our democratic society, whether it be 1967, 2001 or at some time in the future. However, these words were written at a time when there was no doubt about the requirement for governments, both state and federal, to properly support and fund public education.

The Convention has the support of parent organisations and organisations of principals in NSW. These organisations will be represented on the day, as will the Australian Education Union with delegations coming from all states and territories of Australia.

For further information

Contact:	John Hughes
Union:	NSW Teachers Federation
Phone:	0418 423834
Fax:	61-2-9217 2470
Email:	mail@nswtf.org.au
WWW:	http://www.nswtf.org.au/

LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed
by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW
[Credits] [Site Matters]