PrintNT Labor Attempt to Deceive Territorians over Education Policy Outcomes
Television advertisements aired by the Henderson Labor government promoting their school attendance initiative are nothing more than self promoting rubbish paid for by Territory taxpayers, said Senator Scullion today.
“Ensuring every child attends school every day is a fundamental responsibility of all parents. When children do not attend school, governments must assist parents or enforce acceptance of this responsibility if necessary as education is fundamental to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.
“While the Labor government is spending our money on television ads telling us that they are taking action to ensure every child to goes to school, buried in their own budget is the true story of their actions, said Senator Scullion.
The NT Dept of Education and Training 2011-12 budget sets the following school attendance rates as the Key Deliverables that Labor wants to achieve.
Indigenous enrolled students attending over 80% of the time:
- Primary school – 34%
- Middle school - 21%
- Senior School – 31%
“These would be terrible attendance rates if they just reflected the current situation but they are an absolute disgrace when they actually state what Labor hopes to achieve, said Senator Scullion.
“Past poor attendance rates demand action to turn them around however I am not the only one that fails to see how airing a series of television ads in Darwin is going to have an impact in remote communities. Even the government knows it is nonsense, said Senator Scullion.
“Last year the budgeted attendance rates for primary school, the most important years to engage students, was 33%. The actual achieved attendance rate was a paltry 32.1%.
This year, after all the expensive ads pouring out of televisions in Darwin, Labor are only expecting to increase this appalling rate to 34% of enrolled students attending school most of the time.
“All Territorians would be a lot better off if the Henderson Labor Government spent less time and money on trying to look good while telling us what they are going to do, and more on actually doing it.
But then there is an election coming up isn’t there.
