NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli questioned over capacity of schools along Sydenham to Bankstown rail corridor
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has copped criticism over his government’s inability to find desks for new students in already overcrowded schools along the Sydenham to Bankstown rail corridor.
The Express
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NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli has copped criticism over his government’s inability to find desks for new students in already overcrowded schools along the Sydenham to Bankstown rail corridor, where 36,000 extra dwellings are planned over the next two decades.
During Budget Estimates last week, Mr Piccoli was asked to explain how his department would accommodate a surge in new students when development is ramped up along the “urban renewal” corridor.
Eleven stations will be converted to a single-deck Metro line and connected to Chatswood via a new harbour crossing, providing 15 trains per hour between Bankstown and Sydenham.
Last year the State Government released plans to accelerate development within 400m of the stations, with the aim of boosting apartment stock by 36,000 over 20 years.
When Mr Piccoli was asked what school infrastructure was planned to cope with this, he said the redevelopment of Alexandria Park Community School would take in up to 2200 students from kindergarten to Year 12.
NSW Education Department figures on the capacity of NSW schools, obtained by The Express, show multiple primary and high schools along the Sydenham to Bankstown corridor are full or well over capacity.
Campsie Public School, 300m from Campsie railway station, is at 109 per cent capacity.
Meanwhile, Bankstown West Public School is at 108 per cent capacity, Bankstown North Public School at 100 per cent and Bankstown Public School at 100 per cent.
Mr Piccoli said when a school was at capacity demountables were sometimes used to accommodate extra pupils.
“Of course, where we are able to, we build permanent classrooms, as we have done since we came to office,” he said.
“As I said, we announced in this year’s budget an additional $1 billion. Most of that money is going to increasing capacity with permanent classrooms.”
Opposition education spokesman Lakemba Labor MP Jihad Dib said he was concerned not enough planning on supporting infrastructure around the rail corridor was being done.
“You can only imagine that the people who are moving into (those units) are going to be people with young families or starting out with young families and there is no indication of any new schools being built,” he told The Express.
Mr Dib, a former high school principal, questioned why Mr Piccoli mentioned Alexandria Park Community School, which wasn’t on the Bankstown to Sydenham line.
“Alexandria isn’t next to Bankstown, it isn’t next to Wiley Park, it isn’t next to Belmore … what we need is schools that reflect the local area and reflect the local community.”
It is predicted the NSW public school system will need to cope with 165,000 new students by 2031.
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