Improving school attendance, remote learning and funding needs to be priorities: union boss and NT COGSO

THE NT education union and leading school council organisation have outlined the key things the Gunner Government and new education Minister needs to focus on over the next four years

FIXING inadequate infrastructure, teacher housing and low attendance in remote schools needs to be a bigger priority for the Gunner Government and new education minister, according to the NT education union.

Australian Education Union NT branch president Jarvis Ryan said they met with new Education Minister Lauren Moss this week to explain its concerns, namely remote schooling.

“The big thing we emphasised was the ongoing challenges around remote schools in particular,” Mr Ryan said.

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“We have big concerns about inadequate infrastructure. We’ve got crumbling schools, we’ve got teachers living in housing that is totally inadequate, and frankly we did not see any significant progress in the previous term of government on developing the local workforce.

Australian Education Union NT president Jarvis Ryan. Picture: Che Chorley

“There needs to be a lot more work done to training up local people to take on roles in schools, to look at providing better housing for them and in terms of schooling itself, the thing that’s not being talked about enough is we have terribly low attendance in many of our schools.

Minister for Education Lauren Moss. Picture: Che Chorley

“That’s an ongoing issue, there are no easy answers to it but we really need to address the big divide that’s still there between the town and bush school attendance and outcomes.”

NT Council of Government School Organisations (NT COGSO) executive officer Michelle Parker also said remote education needed to be a priority, alongside the reinstatement and expansion of school based policing and acoustic infrastructure upgrades.

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Ms Parker added a review of the School Resourcing Model was needed, which Territory Labor committed to in the lead-up to the August election.

“NT COGSO is seeking for the government to align the NT with all other jurisdictions and fund our schools based on enrolments, not attendance,” she said.

“School funding is calculated under the needs-based funding model, and uses a formula which is termed effective enrolment, which neither effective as it is not based on enrolment.

“We’re keen to start work as soon as possible in terms for their review of the School Resourcing Model.”