Non-government schools receive funding leg up

Taxpayer funding for Tasmania’s non-government schools is rising at more than twice the rate of funding for government schools, a new report shows.

TAXPAYER funding for Tasmania’s non-government schools is rising at more than twice the rate of funding for government schools.

The latest data from the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services reveals Tasmania has 192 government and 69 non-government schools with a total of 80,722 students.

The state and federal governments spent an average of $18,632 on each Tasmanian public school student in 2017-18 – the third-lowest figure of the eight jurisdictions measured.

They spent an average of $12,913 per non-government student – the second highest of the eight states and territories.

Total state and federal nominal recurrent spending on government schools in Tasmania rose by 35 per cent over the last decade. Spending in non-government schools in Tasmania rose by 88 per cent.

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The figures showed 42 per cent of students in Tasmanian government schools are considered to be of low socio-educational advantage, a figure comparable to the Northern Territory and more than three times the rate of disadvantage of the Australian Capital Territory.

The figure for non-government schools was 20 per cent.

Other figures showed that Tasmanian school students have the lowest “sense of belonging” at school in the nation.

Just 64.1 per cent of 15-year-olds feel like they belong at school and 68.8 per cent felt like they made friends easily. Both figures were the lowest in the nation and below the OECD average.

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Poorer students were twice as likely to feel like they didn’t belong at school.

Retention rates continue to be a problem, with just 74 per cent of Year 7 students making Year 12. Only the Northern Territory performs worse.

Just over half of the poorest students attain a Year 12 qualification, compared to 71 per cent of those of high socio-economic status. Both figures were the worst of any state.

And of students who left school in Year 12 in 2018, just 41 per cent were in work or further study the following year, the worst figure in the nation.

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