By Christopher Harris and Lucy Carroll
The head of the state’s 2200 public schools has slighted his counterparts in the private sector by suggesting the education system could be better off without Catholic and independent schools.
NSW Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar was profiled by the ABC’s Australian Story on Monday and was quoted in a preview article for the broadcaster saying the existence of private schools “needs to be debated and discussed”.
NSW Education Department secretary Murat Dizdar at the SMH Schools Summit last month.Credit: Rhett Wyman
“I’m not sure that when you look at the facts around the globe, you need that provision,” Dizdar is quoted as saying in an article on ABC’s online news website.
“We’ve had countries across the world that have been very successful on their educational path with one provision, and that’s been a public provision. It needs to be debated and discussed.”
The comments sparked a fierce backlash from Catholic Schools NSW, with its chief executive, Dallas McInerney, releasing a statement confirming he had contacted the offices of NSW Premier Chris Minns and Education Minister Prue Car to express his “deep concern”.
“The secretary’s comments are outrageously bad and very worrying for Catholic education,” McInerney said in the statement sent to the state’s Catholic schools.
“It is significant for all the wrong reasons when the NSW’s most senior educational official puts a question mark over the role and future of our (and other non-government) schools and further invites a national discussion about his preference for a one-provision (public only) model of schooling for Australia,” he said.
“Thankfully, the department does not make policy; it is charged with implementing government policy.
Dallas McInerney, chief executive officer of Catholic Schools NSW.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Hours before the Australian Story episode Class Wars went to air, Dizdar appeared to walk back his comments calling into question the existence of private schools.
In a statement published on the NSW Department of Education website, he said his comments “regarding public provision were not intended to disrespect the good work of my colleagues in other sectors”.
“I recognise and value the important role the Catholic and independent sectors play in our education system in NSW, now and into the future. I am a passionate champion of the transformational power of public education,” Dizdar said.
“Our three sectors have a strong relationship and have worked collaboratively on a range of issues, from the pandemic through to the new curriculum”.
Australian Story detailed Dizdar’s career, from being a student at selective Fort Street High School to becoming head of the NSW public education sector after two decades in the state system as a teacher, principal and in senior departmental roles.
“I’ve been to 1600 schools out of the 2200 in the state,” he said. “I don’t consider it a job. To me, it’s a life passion.”
His comments come as public schools in NSW face declining enrolment share as parents increasingly leave the public school system and turn to private and Catholic schools, driven in part by better academic outcomes, stricter discipline and concerns about violence.
NSW recorded its worst year for public school enrolments last year and has lost roughly 25,000 enrolments over the past three years.
Dizdar also outlined the state’s plan for public education and the commitment to explicit teaching across the state’s schools and welcomed NSW’s recent $4.8 billion school funding deal with the Commonwealth.
“The last four or five years has really hurt on a personal front. I don’t like the fact we’ve lost 25,000 students that were with us in our system and have made alternative choices … I want to win back those enrolments,” he said on the program.
Chief executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW Margery Evans, who was interviewed for the program, said it is “unconstructive to yearn for an overseas education model that never existed in this country”.
“I’m pleased that the Secretary of the Department of Education has retracted his unfortunate remarks and acknowledged the important role played by the Catholic and Independent school sectors, who jointly educate 38 per cent of NSW students.
“Not-for-profit Independent and Catholic schools have educated Australian children for 200 years, and they continue to grow because they have parents’ confidence and support.
“Australia’s education leaders should focus on making their schools as good as they can be and trust families to decide which school is the best fit for their child,” Evans said.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.