PISA findings back school autonomy

The Coalition's election policies to reward teachers and increase school autonomy have been given a tick by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment report 2010 (PISA).

The report specifically refers to systems with greater school autonomy having better results, said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.

"At the election the Coalition planned to hand back the power to school communities and principals with a suite of policies designed to de-centralise the education system," Mr Pyne said.

"The PISA report also supports the Coalition's longstanding position that the 'My School' website will only be of benefit when schools have the power to make their own decisions," he said.

The test results show Australia has gone backwards since 2000 in reading and mathematics further debunking the myth that the Labor Party is the education party.

For the vast majority of the last decade Labor governments have been the primary education service providers in every single state around Australia.

From 2000 to 2009, according to the PISA results, Australia has fallen behind other countries, including our regional neighbours. In fact, out of 38 countries Australia was one of only four that saw a decline in reading performance, while the rest improved or stayed the same.

"We know State Labor Government's can't deliver in education, and we also know every attempt by the Rudd/Gillard Government to introduce new education programs and policies has resulted in waste, mismanagement and mess," Mr Pyne said.

"The Coalition's plan to invest wisely and meaningfully in our schools, and promote a system that is based on parental choice and local decision-making is the key to improving over the next decade," he said.

December 7, 2010

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