Ms CARNEY - 2006-03-28
Last month, in this Chamber, you promised Territorians that you would deliver your election commitments. Do you recall promising the people of the Millner electorate more funding and new school equipment for Ludmilla Primary School? Is it not the case that your government is not going to deliver on this promise but, instead, has threatened to close Ludmilla Primary School?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, like the Education minister, I am very committed to education in the Northern Territory. I believe it would be appropriate for the opposition to direct specific questions to do with education to the minister. However, I am very happy to answer this.
Earlier this month, we went out to consult with the Territory community, right across the Territory, from Alice Springs to Darwin. We are talking to our community about implementing middle schools. We are very committed to the Middle Schools Policy. This means that we will need a level of structural change in our schools.
We had a number of different models. We went out with four different models of how that change could happen. Interestingly, there were another four, I believe, added from our community, and all those models are currently being assessed. The Leader of the Opposition is saying: ‘You have made a decision’, about one or the other. That is not the case. We have listened to our community, hundreds of people turned up to meetings, and we are currently assessing what those views are.
What we want to do through middle schools is to make schooling more successful for our many thousands of students. Sadly, our secondary students are not doing as well as they could. These changes are about giving students a better learning environment, getting them better results so that their futures are more ensured, whether they choose a trade or go on to tertiary education, and how their future actually evolves through their schooling.
Madam Speaker, we will continue to that. We are listening to our community. I am very confident that when the middle schools are put in place it will ensure that those students in the critical period of 11 to 14 years old will get better results, perform better, and it will ensure their attention in the higher schooling levels.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, like the Education minister, I am very committed to education in the Northern Territory. I believe it would be appropriate for the opposition to direct specific questions to do with education to the minister. However, I am very happy to answer this.
Earlier this month, we went out to consult with the Territory community, right across the Territory, from Alice Springs to Darwin. We are talking to our community about implementing middle schools. We are very committed to the Middle Schools Policy. This means that we will need a level of structural change in our schools.
We had a number of different models. We went out with four different models of how that change could happen. Interestingly, there were another four, I believe, added from our community, and all those models are currently being assessed. The Leader of the Opposition is saying: ‘You have made a decision’, about one or the other. That is not the case. We have listened to our community, hundreds of people turned up to meetings, and we are currently assessing what those views are.
What we want to do through middle schools is to make schooling more successful for our many thousands of students. Sadly, our secondary students are not doing as well as they could. These changes are about giving students a better learning environment, getting them better results so that their futures are more ensured, whether they choose a trade or go on to tertiary education, and how their future actually evolves through their schooling.
Madam Speaker, we will continue to that. We are listening to our community. I am very confident that when the middle schools are put in place it will ensure that those students in the critical period of 11 to 14 years old will get better results, perform better, and it will ensure their attention in the higher schooling levels.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016