Governments should fully fund private primary schools, says Piccoli

Former NSW education minister Adrian Piccoli wants governments to fully fund private primary schools on the condition they stop collecting fees from parents and agree to abide by the same enrolment and accountability rules as public schools.

The country's most expensive private schools already receive at least $4000 per student in public funding, even if they charge $35,000 a year in parent fees.

Professor Piccoli argues non-government schools receive so much public money that the proposal would only cost governments about $500 million a year.

Former education minister Adrian Piccoli has proposed fully funding all non-government primary schools. Credit: Janie Barrett

"It is a radical idea for Australia and never really taken seriously before because of the cost," he said. "But given public funding of non-government schools has reached such a high point, government might as well bite the bullet and fully fund them as public schools."

Professor Piccoli, now the director of the Gonski Institute for Education at the University of NSW, said the present system allows only those who can afford fees to choose non-government schools, leaving them out of reach of many disadvantaged families.

Under his proposal, the schools would still be run by non-government institutions, such as churches or groups with alternative education philosophies such as Steiner, but, like public schools, they would not be able to reject students or ask them to leave.

Schools could continue to charge fees, but those that did would forfeit all government funding.

They would also have to answer to accountability processes such as budget estimates and have to comply with freedom of information laws. They would also have the same amount of money as public schools to spend on extra staff or equipment.

Former NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says the government should fully fund private primary schools.Credit: Janie Barrett

The proposal comes as a new Gonski Institute paper argues the separation of Australia’s education system into different sectors has created a structure that benefits advantaged students and fails the disadvantaged.

With its three sectors - Catholic, independent and public education - Australia has one of the most segregated systems in the OECD, the paper says, with public schools teaching almost 80 per cent of students despite taking only two thirds of total students.

Recent PISA tests showed students in the lowest socio-economic quartile were three years behind those in the highest.

In an opinion piece in The Herald, Professor Piccoli argues high-performing countries such as Canada and Finland did not have this system, and Australia would not be able to compete with them unless it addresses this structural inequity.

"This idea is neither new nor radical," he said. "Canada has operated this way for decades and find themselves with an education system far more equitable and much higher performing than Australia."

Professor Piccoli admits that there would be many issues to address if Australia adopted the policy. He would like high schools to eventually be included in the plan, but primary schools were a good place to begin.

National Catholic Education Commission executive director Jacinta Collins said the idea was not new and "may have some merit", but segregation was not the biggest equity issue, as there were also divisions within sectors.

The proposal would require "significant working through why non-government schools exist to ensure that the reason why non-government schools exist – to provide choice and diversity for families – are not degraded by applying a one-size-fits-all approach," she said.

Association of Independent Schools of NSW executive director Geoff Newcombe said Professor Piccoli's suggestions would not achieve the outcomes he hoped. He said parents chose independent primary schools because they were agile and innovative.

"[They are] highly responsive to parent concerns and, within the boundaries of legislation, able to employ staff who will uphold the school’s values and ethos," he said. "Independent schools are also more accountable to parents, the community and governments."

NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said Professor Piccoli’s proposal acknowledged inequity within schools, but did not confront the core issue. "Until such time as there is the political will to tackle to source of the problem, ie education as a market, we will fail," he said.

"The first step is policy settings which recognise that true equity can only be achieved if the local, universally accessible public school, sets the standard for education."

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