Mr TOYNE - 2000-03-02
The government has consulted the community over the imposition of a code of conduct for Territory students. The advice received from school teachers, parents and students has been almost universally against the code of conduct. Like mandatory sentencing, it will do nothing to address the causes of truancy and unruly behaviour in the classrooms. Is the new minister now prepared to abandon this inappropriate approach, and instead work with parents, teachers and students to develop serious responses to truancy and student behaviour?
ANSWER
Let me just take a couple of minutes to build some perspective around this. The reason the Education Department, myself, and the teachers are here, the reason we exist, is to deliver a quality education to Territory kids and their parents. So given that, in a civilised society, then teachers and parents and the kids have a reasonable expectation that there would be reasonable behaviour.
I don’t believe that too many people in our society don’t know how to behave. For instance, I expect the parents and the kids and the teachers to behave in a way to each other that is respectful. They must have some respect for those other persons, and they must respect their property. There is a way to behave. The bottom line is simply this: you behave in our schools, or you are in trouble. If you don’t respond to warnings, behaviour management techniques, you are in trouble. That’s a bare minimum. There is a draft code of conduct in there, and it is simply designed to inform everyone of where they stand and what is expected. It tells people where they stand.
I can say unequivocally to Territory parents that there are bottom-line offences in that code of conduct, that particular draft, and the department is under no illusions that there is to be good behaviour in the schools. I expect the teachers to deal with it. I expect parents to play a part in establishing it. But the key to it is the principal. Would you accept that? The key to it is the principal. The principals run the school; they set the tone. They set the tempo. They enforce the standards. They work in conjunction with the parents and the school council.
I am here to say, unequivocally, that those principals are there because they have earned their right to be there, they are there on merit, they’ve worked hard, they’re qualified, and they’re experienced. So it automatically follows that I support them. What I’m telling them is, you will have codes of behaviour in a general sense, and they all know what that is, and they agree that there must be standards of behaviour which they will enforce.
If we go to the next problem, I am not nave enough to believe that of the 150 or so principals out there, every single one of them is a shining light. The upfront assumption I make is they’re good at their job. Until they show me otherwise, that’s my assumption. But if they do show me otherwise, and they don’t enforce standards of behaviour, they don’t aim for academic excellence, they don’t deliver good education for Territory kids and their parents, then that’s a separate problem, and I’ll do something about that, too.
Ms Martin: Well you appointed them, you should.
Mr LUGG: I’ll do something about that, as well. There will be a culture shift in education in that with the teachers and the parents and the principals - primarily the teachers - I want them to understand that the education department and myself are here to support them, at the chalk face. But they in turn have a responsibility to do their jobs well, and most of them do. The code of conduct, or standards of behaviour, is just a part of that.
There is a consultation process going on. I believe it finishes at the end of this month. Whichever way we get there, there will be appropriate standards of behaviour, and there will be appropriate standards of performance. These are not negotiable. How we get there may be.
ANSWER
Let me just take a couple of minutes to build some perspective around this. The reason the Education Department, myself, and the teachers are here, the reason we exist, is to deliver a quality education to Territory kids and their parents. So given that, in a civilised society, then teachers and parents and the kids have a reasonable expectation that there would be reasonable behaviour.
I don’t believe that too many people in our society don’t know how to behave. For instance, I expect the parents and the kids and the teachers to behave in a way to each other that is respectful. They must have some respect for those other persons, and they must respect their property. There is a way to behave. The bottom line is simply this: you behave in our schools, or you are in trouble. If you don’t respond to warnings, behaviour management techniques, you are in trouble. That’s a bare minimum. There is a draft code of conduct in there, and it is simply designed to inform everyone of where they stand and what is expected. It tells people where they stand.
I can say unequivocally to Territory parents that there are bottom-line offences in that code of conduct, that particular draft, and the department is under no illusions that there is to be good behaviour in the schools. I expect the teachers to deal with it. I expect parents to play a part in establishing it. But the key to it is the principal. Would you accept that? The key to it is the principal. The principals run the school; they set the tone. They set the tempo. They enforce the standards. They work in conjunction with the parents and the school council.
I am here to say, unequivocally, that those principals are there because they have earned their right to be there, they are there on merit, they’ve worked hard, they’re qualified, and they’re experienced. So it automatically follows that I support them. What I’m telling them is, you will have codes of behaviour in a general sense, and they all know what that is, and they agree that there must be standards of behaviour which they will enforce.
If we go to the next problem, I am not nave enough to believe that of the 150 or so principals out there, every single one of them is a shining light. The upfront assumption I make is they’re good at their job. Until they show me otherwise, that’s my assumption. But if they do show me otherwise, and they don’t enforce standards of behaviour, they don’t aim for academic excellence, they don’t deliver good education for Territory kids and their parents, then that’s a separate problem, and I’ll do something about that, too.
Ms Martin: Well you appointed them, you should.
Mr LUGG: I’ll do something about that, as well. There will be a culture shift in education in that with the teachers and the parents and the principals - primarily the teachers - I want them to understand that the education department and myself are here to support them, at the chalk face. But they in turn have a responsibility to do their jobs well, and most of them do. The code of conduct, or standards of behaviour, is just a part of that.
There is a consultation process going on. I believe it finishes at the end of this month. Whichever way we get there, there will be appropriate standards of behaviour, and there will be appropriate standards of performance. These are not negotiable. How we get there may be.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016