“Once in generation” overhaul of school day: Labor pledges

Labor says the 9am-3pm school day is a “relic of the past” and has promised to change it if it wins the March state election.

Out-of-school-hours care will undergo a “once in a generation” overhaul to allow more flexibility, such as earlier drop-offs and later pick-ups, under a Labor state government.

Labor has pledged to establish a Royal Commission, at a cost of $1 million, to guide a revamp of the school day, including out-of-hours care, if it wins the March state election.

It says the 9am-3pm school day is a “legacy of the past” that is incompatible with the modern work-life juggle many working parents grapple with.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas described his party’s plan as a “once-in-a-generation overhaul of early childhood education in SA”.

Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Mr Malinauskas on Monday released the proposed inquiry’s terms of reference.

The Royal Commission would look into:

HOW universal preschool for three and four-year-olds could be delivered in SA. This would include addressing accessibility, affordability and quality. Labor would be seeking to introduce universal preschool for three-year-olds in 2026.

THE extent to which families are supported in relation to health, parenting and education in the first 1000 days of a child’s life, and options for extending these services.

HOW all families could have access to out of school hours care for both preschool and primary school children.

Education Minister John Gardner. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

“For many, the traditional 9am-3pm school day just isn’t compatible with their modern working hours – particularly for dual-income households or single working parents,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“I am determined to modernise the school day and bring it into the 21st Century.”

Education Minister John Gardner described the pledge as an “under-funded hollow promise”.

“There is no way this Royal Commission will cost just $1 million,” he said.

“This is a recipe for another Labor blowout and South Australians will be forced to foot the bill.”

Mr Gardner said Labor’s Royal Commission into the Murray River cost $4.9m while its inquiry into a nuclear dump proposal cost $7.2 million.