PPTA: Education budget a timid sprinkling of coins

Secondary teachers who were hopeful for an education budget that looked to and planned for the future, for children and for teachers were disappointed by the Budget, says PPTA president Jack Boyle.

“What we have instead is a timid sprinkling of initiatives that don’t even keep up with inflation. When schools aren’t funded to provide the education kids need, it’s the parents and school communities who end up having to pay for things that the school should pay for, like uniforms, school trips, stationery and more.

“Education is the intervention that makes the single biggest difference in people’s lives. Failing to provide the tools and resources needed to make that an equitable reality for every child is a sad failing,” says Mr Boyle.

“What we are grateful for is that most schools’ funding is guaranteed by a staffing formula, so at worst, that will provide qualified teachers in front of students – although recruiting them and retaining them is another matter. What’s not so great is that most education funding is completely at the whim of the government of the day; and we see no evidence of long term planning at all.”