Students asked to have their say in school upgrades
The state government wants parents, teachers and especially students to help it decide how best to spend its $188m School Building Blitz. LIST: The 15 schools allocated funds >>
Education
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The state government wants parents, teachers and especially students to help it decide how best to spend its $188m School Building Blitz.
The money — a 2024 election promise — has been allocated to 15 schools around the state.
Education Minister Jo Palmer visited Clarence High School on Monday to open consultation on $29m of upgrades there and $12m to be spend at East Derwent Primary School.
Ms Palmer said she was particularly keen to hear from students on what upgrades they thought would best benefit their school.
“I think the voice of our students is absolutely vital when it comes to these sort of major infrastructure developments,” she said.
“What do they want to see? What are the things that are important to them?
“We can bring in architects, and we can bring in all the professionals, but it’s actually our young people who we really need to be listening to understand. How do they think they are going to learn best?
“What makes them feel really valued and really special in our schools.
“It’s really important that we hear from the voice of students, that we hear from their families and our community leaders, and, of course, from our teachers.
“We want our teachers to be teaching and working in safe environments where they feel really valued, so that they can really flourish in a beautiful education facility as well.”
Clarence High School principal Nick Dodd said the school was in much need of some money being spent on it.
“The facilities are tired,” he said.
“It’s a 1950s school and not a great deal has happened for the infrastructure since then.
“We’ve kept it up to date as much as we possibly can but our students deserve more, and it’s fantastic to see the government backing that and to see the improvements coming our way.
“Obviously, from a teacher’s perspective, we want to see the most up to date classrooms so we can prepare our kids from the range of jobs that they’ll be facing in the future.”
Ms Palmer said the state government had spend $300m on improving school infrastructure over the past decade.
Consultation for Clarence High School and East Derwent Primary School will be open until 23 March 2025.
Community engagement will be followed by the development of a master plan, more community engagement, then design and construction.
Completion of both school upgrades is expected in 2028.
Schools allocated funding
*Dodges Ferry Primary School
*Burnie Primary School
*Campbell Town District High School
*Clarence High School
*Deloraine High School
*Havenview Primary School
*East Derwent Primary School
*Lindisfarne North Primary School
*Mowbray Heights Primary School
*Port Dalrymple School
*Princes Street Primary School
*Ringarooma Primary School
*Risdon Vale Primary School
*Rosetta Primary School
*South George Town Primary School
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