Mr BALCH - 1998-10-08
I understand that the Department of Education sponsored a research project looking at the views of the community about the quality of educational services in Territory schools. Now that the research project has been completed, can the minister inform this House of the main findings and conclusions?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question - an honourable member who, incidentally, has shown a great personal interest in the future directions of schools in his particular electorate. Honourable members …
Mr Bailey: It’s his job, isn’t it?
Mr ADAMSON: Well, it is his job. But I tell you what - the last time I got any correspondence from the member for Wanguri was nil. I have never ever received any lobbying from the member for Wanguri on anything to do with the school in his electorate.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr ADAMSON: Picking up the member for Wanguri’s interjection ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister was asked a question, a specific one. It had nothing to do with the member for Wanguri. Answer the question!
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: The minister spends three-quarters of his time in response to his own colleague’s question attacking ...
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Fannie Bay. Minister, continue your answer to the question.
Mr ADAMSON: On another point of order, Madam Speaker, we have seen on a number of occasions, not only in this sittings but in previous sittings, honourable members of the opposition standing up on what are quite clearly frivolous points of order. There are conventions - quite severe conventions - in other chambers, and I think that this Chamber should take ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I have ruled on that. Get on with your answer to the question, please.
Mr ADAMSON: Madam Speaker, my comment was in response to an interjection and pointed to the fact that the member of Wanguri has not on one occasion ever lobbied me for anything about his particular electorate related school. I think that is a damning indication of how he has disenfranchised his electorate.
In terms of the survey that the department has conducted - and I notice that the member is not denying it - this is the third occasion on which the Department of Education has conducted this survey. A survey was conducted in 1994, again in 1996 and again this year, 1998. The latest of that research was completed last month.
I am pleased to report that the results have been overwhelmingly positive and by far the majority of Territorians have indicated that they think highly of schools that their children attend, or have attended, in the past. In each year of the research, participants were asked questions like: ‘In your opinion, how satisfactory overall are educational services?’. Satisfaction levels have been consistently high with parents reporting an approval in excess of 90% in each year and students have been even higher. This is the response of the electorate. A high level of satisfaction expressed by the community has also been maintained over the last 5 years.
Participants were also asked to identify qualities which good teachers have and to indicate whether or not they agree that Territory teachers have these qualities. The results are a deserved, real pat on the back for Territory teachers. A high proportion of participants agree that the majority of Territory teachers have all of the good qualities of good teachers. Teaching methods used by our teachers were also praised in the research results with almost all students, and over three-quarters of parents, consistently indicating that the methods are acceptable.
The level of satisfaction with school reports is high, and being maintained. Participants are particularly pleased at how easy it is to interpret the information. Some other interesting survey results have shown that there is an increasing support for school uniforms in secondary schools. That has risen from 82% support in 1994 to 91% support from the public in this last survey.
I congratulate the people involved in this particular survey for their valuable feedback, and I simply say that this is yet another indication that the people of the Northern Territory are happy with an education system that is delivering quality education. We are seeing, of course, the results with quality outcomes. Members opposite can grumble and criticise, but this is the people speaking and the people are saying that they are happy with the system.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the honourable member for his question - an honourable member who, incidentally, has shown a great personal interest in the future directions of schools in his particular electorate. Honourable members …
Mr Bailey: It’s his job, isn’t it?
Mr ADAMSON: Well, it is his job. But I tell you what - the last time I got any correspondence from the member for Wanguri was nil. I have never ever received any lobbying from the member for Wanguri on anything to do with the school in his electorate.
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr ADAMSON: Picking up the member for Wanguri’s interjection ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The minister was asked a question, a specific one. It had nothing to do with the member for Wanguri. Answer the question!
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: The minister spends three-quarters of his time in response to his own colleague’s question attacking ...
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Fannie Bay. Minister, continue your answer to the question.
Mr ADAMSON: On another point of order, Madam Speaker, we have seen on a number of occasions, not only in this sittings but in previous sittings, honourable members of the opposition standing up on what are quite clearly frivolous points of order. There are conventions - quite severe conventions - in other chambers, and I think that this Chamber should take ...
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, I have ruled on that. Get on with your answer to the question, please.
Mr ADAMSON: Madam Speaker, my comment was in response to an interjection and pointed to the fact that the member of Wanguri has not on one occasion ever lobbied me for anything about his particular electorate related school. I think that is a damning indication of how he has disenfranchised his electorate.
In terms of the survey that the department has conducted - and I notice that the member is not denying it - this is the third occasion on which the Department of Education has conducted this survey. A survey was conducted in 1994, again in 1996 and again this year, 1998. The latest of that research was completed last month.
I am pleased to report that the results have been overwhelmingly positive and by far the majority of Territorians have indicated that they think highly of schools that their children attend, or have attended, in the past. In each year of the research, participants were asked questions like: ‘In your opinion, how satisfactory overall are educational services?’. Satisfaction levels have been consistently high with parents reporting an approval in excess of 90% in each year and students have been even higher. This is the response of the electorate. A high level of satisfaction expressed by the community has also been maintained over the last 5 years.
Participants were also asked to identify qualities which good teachers have and to indicate whether or not they agree that Territory teachers have these qualities. The results are a deserved, real pat on the back for Territory teachers. A high proportion of participants agree that the majority of Territory teachers have all of the good qualities of good teachers. Teaching methods used by our teachers were also praised in the research results with almost all students, and over three-quarters of parents, consistently indicating that the methods are acceptable.
The level of satisfaction with school reports is high, and being maintained. Participants are particularly pleased at how easy it is to interpret the information. Some other interesting survey results have shown that there is an increasing support for school uniforms in secondary schools. That has risen from 82% support in 1994 to 91% support from the public in this last survey.
I congratulate the people involved in this particular survey for their valuable feedback, and I simply say that this is yet another indication that the people of the Northern Territory are happy with an education system that is delivering quality education. We are seeing, of course, the results with quality outcomes. Members opposite can grumble and criticise, but this is the people speaking and the people are saying that they are happy with the system.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016