New education regions a cheap solution, not a good one

Date:  24 November 2010

Network principals will be forced to take up leadership roles without any remuneration for their increased workloads, Shadow Education Minister Michelle Roberts said today.

 

Mrs Roberts said in Parliament today, Education Minister Liz Constable gave nothing but vague assurances that the network principals, who will be responsible for up to 20 schools in their area, would be appropriately supported.

"Network principals will have to take up extra duties on top of their current workload as principal of their own school," she said.

"The Minister has not given any commitment to provide even extra administrative support to give network principals any hope of being effective for schools within their local network.

"The abolition of the 14 current district offices and the establishment of just eight Regional Executive Directors and 75 network principal will inevitably lead to the lowering of standards in education."

Mrs Roberts said a stark example was the Fremantle/Canning region which has 239 schools.

"The new Regional Executive Director will be responsible for performance managing 239 principals," she said.

"With a minimum of two meeting sessions with each principal, the Regional Director will require at least 500 meetings to fulfill the performance management of principals and maintain standards of education in each of the schools.

"The new scheme of educational regions, and network principals, is worrying many teachers.

"The Barnett Government's agenda seems to be driven by cutting costs, rather than achieving better educational outcomes."

Mrs Roberts said the Minister failed to make the case as to how the new model could possibly improve student learning or support teachers.

"This plan seems to be more about schooling on the cheap rather than anything else," she said.

"It is a plan that lacks detail and that fails to provide those that are required to implement the scheme with the resources they need to fulfill their role."

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