Edmondson Park public, primary schools: Residents want answers on planned schools
Years after they were told a local school would be built in their fast-growing neighbourhood, frustrated parents are being forced to send their kids out of the area for an education.
Liverpool
Don't miss out on the headlines from Liverpool. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Teacher who drove car towards students hit with more charges
- Dodgy dentist posed ‘unacceptable risk’ to public safety
Residents of a fast-growing suburb in Sydney’s southwest are demanding answers from the State Government over planning details for primary and high schools promised years ago.
The long wait for the schools is the subject of a new petition by community campaigner Michael Andjelkovic, who says the Edmondson Park community is frustrated by the lack of local schooling options for their children.
Many parents are instead forced to send their children to schools in Bardia and Prestons.
Mr Andjelkovic said so far 350 people had signed his paper petition, which he hopes to have lodged in the NSW Parliament so the Education Minister can reply formally to residents’ concerns.
“It’s been going for at least four or five years but … nothing’s moving and we don’t know why,” he said.
“There’s a number of people who are frustrated with the distance they have to travel.
“Some have expressed frustration, saying that by the time the school is built the kids will be too old to attend the school.”
Edmondson Park resident Amela Lakicevic said her family was given a town map showing a proposed school when they moved into the area five years ago.
She is now considering moving out of the area due to a lack of local high school options for her daughter, who will be forced to attend Casula High School unless one is built nearby.
“Edmondson Park is a rapidly growing area and the infrastructure that’s been put in place here is really quite inadequate,” Ms Lakicevic said.
“It’s just been a huge disappointment basically.”
She said she wanted answers from the State Government so she could plan her family’s future.
“I would really like for them to give us a time frame that they’re actually going to stick to so that we know that it’s actually going to be built.”
Another resident, Jayda Torony, said the population boom in Edmondson Park meant schools that were accessible had to be prioritised.
“There is an influx of people coming into the neighbourhood and a lack of appropriate places for young children and even high school children … to have access to education,” she said.
A NSW Education Department spokesman said early planning for both schools was underway in line with the 2018-19 NSW Budget commitment.
“This early planning includes investigating current and future enrolment demand, the status of other local schools, catchment boundaries, site sizes and transport options. The early planning will inform the scope of the projects,” the spokesman said.
Last September, the department told the Leader it was undertaking due diligence to assess availability and suitability of land for the new schools.