Education state election commitments focus on help for parents and kids’ mental health
Primary school children will take part in sessions to help them manage stress and become more “mindful’ under a new election pledge from the Liberal Party, while Labor has promised to build 50 new schools. See how the two parties compare.
NSW
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Primary school children will take part in sessions to help them manage stress and become more “mindful’ under a new election pledge from the Liberal Party.
Education Minister Rob Stokes will today announce a $1.2 million commitment to roll out the Smiling Minds program to 400 primary schools.
Improving the lives of children while they’re in the classroom has become a key battleground for the state election, with both major parties making unprecedented commitments to more airconditioning and slicker facilities.
But the coalition has particularly tried to target the mental health of children with policies on psychologists and mindfulness workshops in the classroom.
It comes as busy parents are relying on schools more than ever before to help support their children.
Mr Stokes said parents had sent a clear message that schools needed to become the “cornerstone” of the community as a support of intellectual, and emotional development.
“In the past schools could rely on a massive volunteer workforce with parents, but now more parents are working that’s not the case anymore, (community support) has to be provided in schools,” he said.
“Young people’s lives have become so cluttered with so many challenges and anxieties, our job is try to make it as simple as possible,” he said.
On top of the Smiling Minds program the Liberal Party has also pledged to employ a counsellor in every high school, boost health and safety awareness programs and double the Active Kids sport voucher to $200.
About one in seven primary students, and one in four secondary students are experiencing mental health problems.
Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg said the emphasis on mental health from the major parties was a response to a call for help from parents.
Dr Carr-Gregg said mental health support would also benefit academic performance.
“I don’t see it as replacing parents, I see it as augmenting what they already do,” he said.
“There’s a clear connection between mental health, wellbeing and learning.”
Labor’s election commitments include the introduction of free eye testing for 52,000 primary students, a cash injection of $5000 for every P & C group and the funding of onsite child care to stop a “double drop off” for parents.
Labor has also committed to build an additional 50 new schools in its first term and install airconditioning in every classroom in NSW.
Education spokesman Jihad Dib said schools should bring communities together rather than churn out a generation of “robot” students.
“We want fantastic kids with a wholistic experience, competent with literacy and numeracy but also creative problem solvers … who have the tools to support themselves as the world changes,” he said.
WHERE THE PARTIES STAND
LIBERALS
Early childhood
● Continue subsidised preschool education for 3 and 4-year-olds
● Extra $42.1m to improve preschool infrastructure
School
● $1.2b to wipe the school maintenance backlog
● 4600 extra teachers
● Continue $6b plan to build and upgrade 170 schools
● $1.2m for ‘mindfulness’ workshops at 400 primary schools
● Educational giraffe Healthy Harold program modernised with $2m funding boost
● $88m for a school counsellor or psychologist and student support officer at every public high school
TAFE
● New $80m campus in Western Sydney to train people in key trades
● 700,000 free TAFE and VET courses over four years including 30,000 for mature aged workers
LABOR
Early childhood
● Double subsidies for 3 and 4-year-olds in long day care
● $292m boost to ‘Little Kids Big Futures’ fund to improve preschool access for disadvantaged kids
● $18m trial program to identify learning difficulties and other health issues
School
● Airconditioners in every public school
● Extra 50 new schools with preschool or daycare to save parents from “double drop off”
● Replace 1000 demountable classrooms with buildings
● $5000 a year for public P & Cs community engagement
● Free eye testing in school for 52,000 primary students
TAFE
● Extra 600,000 free TAFE places over 10 years
● Spend 70 per cent of vocational education budget on public TAFE
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