Principal autonomy needed for school reform
16 Dec 2009
Media release The argument between the Government and the Education Union over transparency measures for school results misses the point of education reform, Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.
"While Julia Gillard seems to see transparent reporting as an end in itself, and the Union seems fixated on protecting failing schools from scrutiny, neither seems interested in real reform to help improve our schools for all students," said Mr Pyne.
"In October the Government released the 'Principal Autonomy Research Project', which made 16 recommendations for increasing local autonomy for schools. Despite suggestions from Julia Gillard that this report was a fundamental part of the so-called 'Education Revolution', this has proven to be all talk. To date, the Government has acted on only one of those sixteen recommendations - the national curriculum that was already in train under the previous Howard Government.
"So long as principals and Governing Councils are hamstrung by their State Education Departments from being able to initiate effective reforms in their own schools, increased transparency about school performance is pointless. The Coalition supports transparency in as much as it can assist local school authorities develop responses to those areas where their school is not achieving the results that its students deserve.
"Both the Government and the AUE are perfectly happy for the decisions to be made by committees of bureaucrats, teachers and education experts. What about parents and principals? Who would know better what is needed at their school than parents and principals?
"The Coalition will be working to increase principals' and governing councils' autonomy if elected, to complement school transparency measures. Anything less is like asking a boxer to fight with one arm tied behind his back.
December 14, 2009
Media contact:
Adam Howard
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