❓ Hon Bruce Donaldson raises concerns about increasing private school enrolments and declining confidence in the public system. Hon Ljiljanna Ravlich responds by highlighting parental choice, obligations in registering private schools, and criticizes the federal government's alleged agenda to undermine public education.
AnsweredQoN 689Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
PRIVATE SCHOOL ENROLMENTS - LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
Recent information is showing an accelerating increase in the number of students now attending private schools and children being enrolled at birth for placement at a private school, notwithstanding the high cost to parents of tuition fees. Will the minister direct the Department of Education and Training to find out all the reasons this is occurring and provide advice on how to arrest the very obvious growing lack of confidence by parents in the existing public school system? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH
Recent information is showing an accelerating increase in the number of students now attending private schools and children being enrolled at birth for placement at a private school, notwithstanding the high cost to parents of tuition fees. Will the minister direct the Department of Education and Training to find out all the reasons this is occurring and provide advice on how to arrest the very obvious growing lack of confidence by parents in the existing public school system? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Members opposite, together with the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, seem to have an absolute preoccupation with public-private education. Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. Members opposite, together with the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, seem to have an absolute preoccupation with public-private education. Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Members opposite, together with the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, seem to have an absolute preoccupation with public-private education. Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. Members opposite, together with the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, seem to have an absolute preoccupation with public-private education. Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. Members opposite, together with the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, seem to have an absolute preoccupation with public-private education. Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon Robyn McSweeney interjected. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH : Parents have a choice and they exercise that choice. As minister I also have obligations to meet requirements when schools apply for registration. I must go through various processes for the registration of private schools and adhere to legislation to enable those schools to be established. I must judge every one of those applications in a fair and reasonable manner. There is no doubt that the federal government’s agenda is to try to push as many students as it can away from the public education system and into the private education system, because the real hidden agenda in this debate is to send children to private schools and for the federal government to negate its obligation for funding public education and to introduce a full user-pays model. That is very transparent. While the federal government is at it, it will put teachers onto workplace agreements, which is its other agenda. I happen to have with me the statistical breakdown of the sectors. Based on the first semester of 2006, the statistics outline the student numbers in each broad sector. Community kindergartens are included in the government figures. The public sector had 250 061 students and the private sector had 119 896 students. The latest published statistics for years 11 and 12 show that 27 168 students receive public school education, 8 770 students receive Catholic school education and 9 014 students receive independent school education. I am really concerned about making sure that all children have a first-class education, irrespective of where they attend school. There is no doubt that when an economy has a 10 per cent growth rate and people are earning better wages, they feel more affluent and have more choices available to them. Some parents may choose to send their child to a private school. In many circumstances parents recognise the diversity of educational experience within the public school system. Students from private schools are returning to the public school system. For example, I refer to Mindarie Senior College and I cite the example of Perth Modern College. We had a ceremony for the intake of the first 100 students into the new Perth Modern College. The college attracted many students from the private sector. I will not go into the private-public divide, because I think the priority is to make sure that we offer good education across all three sectors. That is my responsibility as Minister for Education and Training.
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