There must be a reason parents send kids to private schools

Anthony Albanese visits his old school, St Mary's Cathedral College in Sydney. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

It was ABC TV Australian Story’s big story of the year – though it did not make it to air.

Independent or non-government schools have been in operation in Australia since the late 19th century. Initially they were primarily Catholic institutions with a few schools run by other Christian denominations.

In recent years independent schools have consisted of high-fee institutions along with relatively low-fees schools including the Catholic systemic system. The various religious institutions involve essentially the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths.

In view of how embedded faith-based schools are in the Australian education system, it came as some surprise when, on Monday morning this week, the ABC News website previewed the appearance on Australian Story of Murat Dizdar, the recently appointed secretary of the NSW Department of Education.

Following the victory of Chris Minns’s NSW Labor government in March 2023, Dizdar replaced public servant Georgina Harrisson in this position. Previously Dizdar had been deputy to Harrisson. It is understood that Dizdar’s promotion was strongly supported by the NSW Teachers Federation, one of Australia’s most powerful trade unions.

On Monday morning, ABC News online reported that Dizdar publicly wondered whether private schools should exist at all. He was quoted as saying: “I’m not sure that when you look at the facts around the globe, you need that provision. We’ve had countries across the world that have been successful on their educational path with one provision, and that’s been a public provision. It needs to be debated and discussed.”

Little wonder that these remarks were quickly noted. Dizdar, a former schoolteacher who rose to become one of the most influential bureaucrats in Australia, was challenging the existence of the non-government segment.

There was an immediate push back from Catholic Schools NSW, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW and the National Catholic Education Commission. Dizdar soon divorced himself from his own statement, declaring: “I recognise and value the important role the Catholic and independent schools play in our education system in NSW, now and into the future … My comments on Australian Story regarding public provisions were not intended to disrespect the good work of my colleagues in other sectors.”

As it turned out, Dizdar’s comments on private schools did not make it to air. It was as if the comment had never been made. Odd, indeed, since on Monday morning the ABC had plugged Dizdar’s view to advertise the program.

Australian Story, presented by Leigh Sales, is invariably a soft occasion. There are some exceptions; for example, when Coalition senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was profiled on February 10. But it was back to normal on Monday as Dizdar’s highly successful career was covered from a humble beginning as a child of non-English-speaking migrants to his current position.

Murat Dizdar, a former schoolteacher who rose to become Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, was educated in public schools and has now questioned the value of them. Picture: Simon Bullard.

Much was made of Dizdar’s education in the government system. However, early in the program he conceded that government schools were in trouble, stating: “There’s an enormous challenge before us; unfortunately, we’ve dropped about 25,000 enrolments across the last three years and I’m determined to win every one of them back.”

Fair enough. Dizdar is an example of one of the NSW government school system’s successes. He told Australian Story he was passionate about public education and added: “We have a track record that stretches 176 years of taking the working class and producing outstanding people across all walks of society, and I think that’s pretty special and Australia should protect that.”

Well, it’s impressive to be sure. But not that special.

This is precisely what the Catholic systemic school system did from the late 19th century on. Due to primarily heroic religious sisters and brothers who devoted their lives to educating mainly children of working-class and lower-income-earning Catholics.

Like Anthony Albanese, Dizdar was brought up in public housing. He was educated at Summer Hill Public School and at the selective Fort Street High School.

The Prime Minister, on the other hand, was educated at St Mary’s Cathedral School, which was run by the Christian Brothers religious order. Two working-class boys who made it due to their education at government and independent schools, respectively.

What was missing from Dizdar’s story, as told to Australian Story, was any analysis why the NSW Department of Education has dropped 25,000 student enrolments in a mere three years. Especially since Australia was experiencing severe cost-of-living pressures during this time.

Australian Story was very supportive of government schools. So much so that it did not attempt to address why many parents elect to pay fees in the private school system that do not exist in the public system. Whatever the reason, it is evident that parents and grandparents of children in the private school system – from the rich to those on medium incomes – believe they are getting value for money.

This is despite the expectation of some in the recent past that the crimes of child sexual abuse in religious schools – primarily Catholic and other Christian schools that were revealed in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse – would lead to a drop in demand.

Peter McClellan KC, who chaired the royal commission, has challenged my view that his commissioners did not inquire into any existing government school with respect to pedophilia (as distinct from sexual assaults of children by other children). But this statement of mine is correct. I wrote to McClellan about this on July 12, 2023, but he did not reply.

To be fair, the body set up by the Coalition government in Victoria specifically required that its inquiry was not to cover government organisations. In Victoria, this matter was not officially addressed until 2023. This has yet to occur in NSW and some other states.

In any event, non-government schools, including Christian ones, tend to be popular. The government system has its supporters, as does its non-government equivalent. That’s why NSW Premier Minns and NSW Education Minister Prue Car have distanced themselves from what Dizdar told Australian Story before it was dropped from his story.

After all, the demise of independent schools would put more pressure on government budgets.