Mark Speakman
Shadow Minister for Education
The Minns Labor Government's chronic failures on public education were on full display at today's Budget Estimates hearings.
Under the Minns Labor Government, school enrolments have fallen every year. This repeats the overall fall over the 16 years of the previous Labor Government, compared with an overall increase that occurred under Liberal-National Governments.
While the Minns Labor Government has a 2034 target for public schools' share of enrolments, it failed today to rule out further falls in the next few years and, worryingly, could cite no interim targets to address the ongoing decline.
The Government is in denial about causes of the decline in public school enrolments. Despite the best efforts of hard-working teachers, in a cost-of-living crisis - parents are increasingly choosing to pay for private education, concerned about the quality of education, student outcomes, classroom behaviour and discipline.
The Government has trumpeted its "Inspire high potential and gifted education" program as one solution. However, it's clear this is mere window dressing. Instead, it's a piecemeal "program", with only eight schools having extension classes, and many, if not most schools, missing out on having any academic enrichment offerings at all and no guarantee of the scale or nature of any offering at any public school.
Amidst massive, planned population increases through its transport-oriented developments (TODs), there is also no vision for essential school infrastructure, with the government. However, it has failed failing to identify and secure any new school sites. The Government has also not done other essential work, failing so far to do schools modelling and allocation of funds for increased enrolments.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. The Minns Labor Government is failing NSW students and families by neglecting the basic planning necessary to make the right investments in education to ensure a world-class education system.
