Teachers rally for funding equality

Central Coast teachers rallied for the future of the region’s children on Tuesday, September 10, as the Federal Government Government faces increasing pressure to fully fund public schools.

NSW Teachers Federation President Henry Rajendra said a “shocking” report released on Friday, September 6, highlighted the growing inequality between public and private schools.

“New research highlighted the abhorrent trend that by 2022, six in 10 NSW private schools were receiving more government funding than comparable public schools,” he said.

“This is wholly unacceptable and is one of the big problems Labor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were elected to fix.

“Public schools in NSW do the heavy lifting, educating two and half times the number of students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds.

“Public schools also educate almost three times as many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

“Yet, they are not receiving the funding they need to meet these students’ needs.”

Rajendra said the Prime Minister might not have created the problem but couldn’t remain “asleep at the wheel”

“It’s time to take control of this wholly inequitable mess and clean it up,” he said.

“Our kids’ future demands leadership.

“Full funding is the only way to ensure every child gets the support they need to succeed, and we can recruit and retain sufficient numbers of teachers.”