Local kids need priority for popular schools over international students, Labor says — Government rubbishes argument

Local kids must get places over international ones for entry into popular high schools, Labor says, but the Government has rubbished the argument as “baseless”.

Local students must be prioritised over international ones for entry into popular high schools, Labor says.

The Government has rubbished the argument as “baseless”, saying foreign students are concentrated in higher year levels and accepted only when schools have room for them.

The Opposition’s call to limit foreign enrolments is the latest grenade thrown into the debate over changes to the city high school zone.

The Government angered hundreds of inner western suburbs families by removing them from the shared zone for Adelaide High and the new Adelaide Botanic High.

Adelaide High has 85 international students while Botanic has no plans to take any.

Labor’s education spokeswoman Susan Close said: “Currently, parents who live overseas can pay to enrol their children in the public school of their choice, regardless of zoning prerequisites. These schools are often at capacity and unable to accommodate all the local students who wish to enrol.”

The Government says enrolment projections show Adelaide High would be way over capacity regardless of foreign students.

Its enrolment modelling shows that without the zone change, Adelaide High would be about 650 students over capacity by the year 2025, even after a planned $18 million expansion to take capacity to 1800.

“International students attending the school tend to only be there for a couple of years in higher year levels when the school identifies there is room for them,” Education Minister John Gardner said.

He said the Education Department’s projections for Adelaide High were conservative because they “don’t include any new international student numbers”.

International student fees range from $12,000 to $13,200 a year depending on the year level. But students under some visa categories pay partial or no fees.