Report justifies new thinking in schools and classrooms

The Coalition welcomes a report released today by Price Waterhouse Coopers which confirms that lifting standards and student outcomes in schools is an important factor to increasing economic growth, said the Shadow Minister for Education Christopher Pyne.

“This report essentially endorses the Coalition’s three pillared approach of improved teacher quality, a robust curriculum and principal autonomy as the key to improving student outcomes. It is all about what goes on in classrooms,” Mr Pyne said.

“It seems fairly obvious that increasing student performance will lift economic productivity over a generation, but to assume this justifies massive new spending is pure Labor spin,” he said.

“Labor thinks spending more money will improve results, yet over the last five years of Labor’s so-called “Education Revolution”, student outcomes have declined or stagnated, despite increased spending.

“The self proclaimed “education Prime Minister” must surely be held to account for Labor’s five years of failure in education.

“Now Labor pretends to have billions of extra dollars for education when they have just cut $3.9 billion from education in the recent MYEFO.

“While Labor is planning its education policy around winning Powerball, the Coalition will offer families funding certainty and a relentless determination to drive change in schools and classrooms.

“All Labor is offering is an Education Bill with no detail and rhetoric about reforms they can’t possibly pay for – more empty promises,” Mr Pyne said.

November 19, 2012