Education Minister Eva Lawler announces funding changes, independent review into NT secondary schools
The Territory’s secondary schools will be under the spotlight during a wide-ranging independent review as funding reforms, gendered language and student mobile phone changes roll out.
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An independent multi-agency review into the Northenn Territory’s secondary education has been announced.
The review will look a secondary education across all government high schools in the NT.
It is set to identify ways to improve student attendance and completion, particularly in remote areas.
The announcement comes alongside the government’s scrapping of a recommendation teachers avoid calling students “boys and girls”.
Education Minister Eva Lawler also announced on Wednesday the school funding model would change to be based on enrolment numbers.
Currently, school funding is influenced by attendance figures.
The NT has some of the lowest school attendance rates in the country.
“A very complex issue we have in the Territory is mobility,” Ms Lawler said.
“We have large numbers of students moving and (it’s about) making sure that money then follows the child.”
The Department of Education is also banning mobile phones in all government schools from next year.
Ms Lawler said the review into secondary education would look at funding and opportunities to improve education delivery, especially for students with a disability.
“We want to ensure all Territory students have access to the best education available,” she said.
“The delivery of secondary education in the Territory is so diverse from our large high schools in Darwin, Palmerston and the rural area to our remote and very remote schools with small numbers of secondary students.
“That’s why it is important to periodically review school resourcing arrangements to ensure that funding is equitable, needs-based and sufficient.”
Consultancy company Deloitte Access Economics, along with the Northern Institute and Charles Darwin University, will conduct the review into secondary education.
The organisations will consult a range of people including students, parents and teachers.
Schools, Indigenous-controlled community organisations and other peak bodies will also be consulted.
The changes to public school funding follow a separate report conducted by Deloitte, which the government has endorsed in full.
A final report on secondary education is set to be released in May 2023.
The Education Department will then look at all recommendations to develop the school funding reform.
Earlier this week, Territory teachers were offered a nine per cent pay rise over three years.
Early childhood, primary, middle and secondary school and vocational education vacancies are among the NT’s hardest jobs to fill.
There are 74 teacher vacancies and 18 principal vacancies for 2023.
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