Victoria's education minister triggers teacher backlash

PRINCIPALS have reacted angrily to a suggestion they should hand over management of school building projects.

PRINCIPALS have reacted angrily to a suggestion they should hand over management of school building projects, saying the federal government's school stimulus program has been plagued by a breakdown in communications between principals and project managers.

The Victorian Principals Association says its members were disappointed with Education Minister Bronwyn Pike's comments that she did not want her principals to "stand around and supervise concrete pours" and her department should take more responsibility for that work.

Ms Pike's remarks were made in defence of the Brumby government's decision to use project managers to implement the Building the Education Revolution program and not release detailed financial and building information to principals.

She told The Australian the "pendulum has swung too far" in the responsibility given to principals and she did not want to "burden" them with managing construction when they should focus on learning.

But some Victorian principals have accused the department of keeping them in the dark about the implementation of the BER while others say they do not know what kind of project they are getting or they have no control over the construction.

"There has been a breakdown in communications between project managers and principals and that is significant because, at the end of the day, the principals are responsible for the school," said association president Gabrielle Leigh. "So they are not directly involved in what's happening on their own school site -- they are loosing their co-ordination."

Ms Leigh said principals often arranged meetings with project managers to voice their concerns about timelines, progress and planning delays but the project managers did not turn up. "They (principals) are just meeting a brick wall," she said. "A lot of principals are sharing their frustrations with us."

Ms Leigh told The Australian that schools in Victoria had been self-governing for 15 years.

"Principals would be disappointed that the minister did not acknowledge that principals are in charge of their school and are responsible for their school," she said. "They don't want to be climbing up ladders or checking box gutters, but they want the information to be able to co-ordinate it."