Funding cuts put State’s future in jeopardy

Executive director of schools in the Diocese of Parramatta, Greg Whitby, said he understands the deep level of anger in NSW school communities and sense of betrayal by a government which has shown a lack of understanding of what is needed to deliver quality learning and teaching in today’s world.

‘It is appalling to note that Australia already lags behind many of the OECD countries in its spending on education and now the O’Farrell Government has chosen to make even more cuts to this level of expenditure,’ Greg said. ‘The decision by the government not to invest in education jeopardises the very future of this state.’

‘The evidence clearly tells us that now is the time to invest in education, not to ignore it. Now is the time to invest in building teacher capacity. It is not the time to slash jobs.

‘This is an attack on education across all sectors and we stand firm on the position that there should be no cuts to any sector in education,’ Greg said.

‘This budgetary decision shifts the cost of schooling from the government to the school. Ultimately it impacts parents’ ability to make a choice about their child’s education.’

Greg said Catholic schools had a proud record of delivering quality schooling from a lower cost base. ‘However, this cannot be maintained if this cost shift continues. Catholic parents continue to make this fact known to their members of parliament,’ he said.

 ‘I have asked our Catholic schools in western Sydney to ensure that the quality of care and teaching that we provide to our students is not diminished.

‘We will be working together to make sure that it is, as much as possible, business as usual.’

Catholic Education Commission: NSW Bishops regret cuts to all NSW schools.

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