Parramatta, NSW – 25 January 2024: This week students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and guardians across Australia are preparing to return to school and are looking forward to the 2024 school year. There is no question that this preparation includes the purchase of uniforms, education support material, and a range of other things our children will need to have on day one.
We at the Public Education Foundation (PEF) are so proud of the quality, the importance and accessibility of our public schools nationally. This week we are working hard to provide funding, from over 600 scholarships that were awarded to students in public schools across Australia for the 2024 school year.
The current debate, about the cost of schooling in public schools across Australia highlights the importance of ensuring the integrity of data being collected. We need to make sure the data is accurate. In recent days it is clear that some of the data about the cost of a public school education is overinflated. We need to question the motivation behind the collection of some of this data.
Much of this debate also relates to government funding for public schools across the nation. The ‘For Every Child’ campaign launched at the end of 2023 encourages government to fund public schools to a minimum of 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) which is recognised as the minimum funding requirement to give every child, regardless of their background, the greatest opportunity to achieve their full potential.
The Public Education Foundation acknowledges that students who suffer from social and financial disadvantage may struggle to reach their full potential and our scholarships funded by generous donors assist those children and their families to meet those additional costs. The cost of living in Australia has risen enormously in recent years resulting in financial pressures having a major influence on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups nationally.
As the Prime Minister recalls his MPs to Canberra to debate the cost-of-living pressures and the impact they are having on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, it is important to remember that any policy changes or initiatives need to focus on those who are suffering the most.
It is reassuring to hear that on January 24, the Prime Minister stated the aim of his party’s urgent meeting was ‘to support the working class’ and that Australians are ‘under pressure’ and any policy changes would be ‘aimed squarely at middle Australia’.
The Public Education Foundation wishes all students, teachers, principals, and their school communities all the best for the 2024 school year. The success of this nation rests on our public education system.
David Riordan
CEO
For more information please contact:
Paul Somers, Tel: 02 7814 2806
Public Education Foundation: http://www.publiceducationfoundation.org.au
About the Public Education Foundation
The Public Education Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing life-changing scholarships to students and educators in public education, and enhancing the value and reputation of public education. See more details at www.publiceducationfoundation.org.au.
