Gonski schools report calls for massive overhaul to bridge learning gap - Herald Sun

Julia Gillard and Peter Garrett with David Gonski (centre), who headed the review into school funding. Picture: Ray Strange Source: Herald Sun

DISADVANTAGED students will score extra funding in a $5 billion education shake-up designed to stop Australia falling behind.

The newly-released Gonski review into school funding recommends the country's best performing schools be studied to decide how much a good education costs per student.

That amount would be guaranteed per student, although how much governments contribute will be based on parents' ability to pay.

Extra money would be given to schools based on their remoteness and size and whether students are indigenous, have limited English, are disabled or are of a low-socioeconomic background to help them learn.

Government schools would be fully taxpayer-funded and non-government schools would receive 20 to 25 per cent of student's funding from governments.

Independent schools that cater to children with very high needs could also qualify for full government funding.

The levels protect a Gillard Government promise that no student would lose a $1 of funding.

The report also says all schools, especially government schools, should seek out philanthropic partners for money and expertise.

The new arrangements would cost about $5 billion per year more than current funding arrangements, with the Federal Government to bear 30 per cent of the increase.

The report suggested indicative amounts as a starting point for federal, state and territory governments to consider.

The resource standard would be around $8000 per primary student and $10,500 per secondary student.

"These indicative amounts provide a plausible and acceptable starting point for further work," the report said.

It said the reading skills of Australian school students have fallen to seventh in the world from equal second while students' maths skills have plummeted from fifth to 13th in the world.

And the gap in literacy between disadvantaged and advantaged students is equivalent to almost three years of schooling.

But it says changes to funding will not lift results alone and other reforms to address innovative learning and a culture of high expectations among teachers and principals.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was worrying that Australian children were not keeping up with their Asian neighbours and disadvantaged students were being left behind.

She said she wanted a national debate on the recommended changes to see real reform.

"Standing still with todays education system means we will fall further and further and further and further behind the standards of the world because other nations are not standing still," she said.

"So we will be there, with sleeves rolled up."

PM Julia Gillard holds a joint press conference with David Gonski and School Education Minister Peter Garrett (at left) following today's public release of the Gonski Review into schools funding. Picture: Ray Strange

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said work would begin immediately to develop and model elements of the proposed new funding system.

"We'll take a set of funding principles to be agreed at the next COAG (Council of Australian Government) and we'll begin working immediately with states and territories and non-government sectors to develop and test a new funding model," Mr Garrett said.

But the Government has already ruled out a significant expansion of the Commonwealth capital funding role.

"In some areas, the Australian Government believes that the scope of proposed new funding contributions may be too large," the Government's written response to the report said.

It said the Australian Government had recently completed the largest ever program of capital investment of schools and "we do not envisage the significant expansion of the Commonwealth's capital funding role".

Ms Gillard rejected a remark by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that a new funding scheme would disadvantage independent schools, saying there was no "hit list".

She accused Mr Abbott of planning to cut more than $2 billion in funding for schools.

"He said, 'Get rid of computers in schools; get rid of trade training centres; get rid of investments in teacher quality, and get rid of investments in disadvantaged schools'," she said.

"So that's his pitch to the nation - cuts, cuts, cuts."

Mr Abbott told reporters today it was in Labor's DNA to attack independent schools.

- with AAP

marszalekj@heraldsun.com.au

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