The O'Farrell Government's Attack on Public Education

The NSW O'Farrell Coalition Government has launched a concerted attack on public education aiming to reduce it to a residualised 'safety-net'. O'Farrell's goal is to offload the government's responsibility for providing high-quality public education to all citizens. Instead, each child will be expected to compete in the 'free-market' for their education. The obvious result will be the entrenching of poverty for generations in NSW.

O'Farrell is attempting to achieve these goals through:

1. Budget cuts to the Department of Education;
2. The introduction of fees in public preschools;
3. School devolution;
4. The privatisation of vocational education; and
5. Cuts to public school and TAFE teacher working conditions.

The O'Farrell government is cutting 1.5% per year from the Department of Education stripping $150 million from public schools. Hypocritically this comes as the O'Farrell government is demanding the federal government to spend an extra $10 billion on school education. The result of O'Farrell's education cuts will be a transfer of administrative burdens onto schools and a reduction in welfare and equity programs for struggling students.

I have previously commented on the introduction of preschool fees. It has since been revealed that the fees will go to consolidated revenue. Not one cent will be used to benefit the children in the preschools. Instead, the most disadvantaged communities in NSW will be expected to expand government coffers.