Education Policy

Principles

1. Accessible and affordable education is a necessary underpinning of a vibrant and progressive democracy and is at the heart of a competent, prosperous, fair and sustainable society.
2. All educational planning and practice must take into account the diverse needs of different members of the Queensland community.
3. The major educational responsibility of government is to fund and support a high quality, free public education system available to all citizens, permanent residents and refugees, regardless of socio-economic and cultural background, religious belief or physical, intellectual and/or sensory disability.
4. Private schools and other institutions have a role to play in bringing diversity to the educational field.
5. Governments must ensure the maintenance of a high-quality teaching profession.
6. Moves toward a national Australian school curriculum should be supported to the extent that they enhance the educational opportunities and experiences of students and promote the professional lives of teachers.
7. Where practicable, the principles of justice, democracy, peace and ecological sustainability should guide educational decisions made by governments and institutions.

Goals

The Queensland Greens want:

1. To ensure that education in Queensland pursues broad goals encompassing personal health and well-being, basic competencies and the capacity for wise decision making.
2. To provide appropriate educational pathways for all Queenslanders from pre-school to adulthood, taking into account their circumstances, abilities and aspirations.
3. To prepare students for life and work in the New Economy.
4. To promote the recruitment and retention of a well-qualified, competent teaching profession enjoying professionally rewarding careers.
5. To use needs-based funding to support diverse educational institutions and services, while prioritising the adequate funding of public schools.
6. To encourage flexibility among public schools to ensure delivery of education that meets the particular needs of school communities.
7. To identify students experiencing learning and engagement difficulties at the earliest possible age and to enact intervention strategies.
8. To raise Indigenous educational outcomes to at least match those of the rest of the Australian population.
9. To encourage all educational institutions, wherever practicable, to model democratic, peaceful, fair and sustainable practices.
10. To maintain and develop the TAFE system as the dominant provider of vocational education and training while acknowledging the important role of the private training organisations.
11. To facilitate greater community involvement in and control over schools, particularly in Indigenous communities.

Measures

A. Funding

1. Increase educational funding and allocate it on a needs basis to ensure that schools and other institutions are well-resourced and appropriately staffed. Such funding will provide high-quality educational buildings, facilities, technological and other resources and will ensure specified class sizes and sufficient teachers with appropriate expertise.
2. Fund the screening of all students at the time of first school enrolment to identify educational problems and opportunities.
3. Increase funding to meet the educational needs of disadvantaged and at risk members of society, including those affected adversely by location, ethnicity, socio-economic status, disability or ill health.
4. Increase funding to ensure that children with special needs can attend local schools with appropriate professional and material resources.
5. Fund special programs to identify and redress the educational disadvantage experienced by many Indigenous Australians.
6. Fund high quality accommodation facilities for teachers in remote communities, especially in Indigenous communities, in order to attract staff.
7. Fund incentives for suitable mid-career teachers to take up positions in Indigenous and other remote communities.
8. Fund specialised educational opportunities for young people with particular aptitudes in academic, cultural and sporting fields.
9. Make free TAFE education available to Queenslanders.
10. Fund full-time, trained teacher aides in all Prep classrooms.
11. Support the community and non-profit child care industry in order to provide parents with greater security in their choice of child care provider.
12. Fund the construction of public preschool facilities which may be run either by Education Queensland or by accredited community childcare providers.
13. Provide financial incentives to suitable school-leavers and others wishing to enter the teaching profession, especially in areas of need such as Mathematics and Science.
14. Fund opportunities for all teachers to undertake regular professional development activities, especially when faced with curriculum changes and new technologies.

B. Curriculum

15. Ensure that syllabuses for Queensland schools foster:
    • literacy and numeracy skills,
    • knowledge and skills in key areas including literature, science, history, geography, environmental studies, LOTE, the arts and health.
    • understanding of the cultural diversity of Australia, in particular the history and cultures of Indigenous Australians.
    • knowledge and skills required for participation in the New Economy
    • knowledge and critical thinking skills required for active and informed citizenship within an uncertain future
    • positive social relationships
16. Ensure that all subjects in the curriculum are taught by teachers with appropriate qualifications, and that all teachers appointed to Indigenous communities complete special courses before commencing teaching.
17. Ensure that the principles of justice, ecological sustainability, democracy and peace are studied as core elements of the school curriculum.
18. Provide diverse pathways for school-age learners, including technical, vocational courses in conjunction with TAFE and other providers.
19. Encourage schools to offer learning that is responsive to local situations and circumstances.
20. Review the adequacy of current Indigenous content in school curricula, and investigate the possibility of teaching Indigenous languages in schools.
21. Support the adoption of national curriculum initiatives where there are clear educational benefits for students and where such adoption safeguards the professionalism of Queensland teachers as curriculum developers.
22. Support the development of niche tertiary courses to complement the economic and social needs of Queensland such as the development of a viable renewable energy sector.
23. Make TAFE a site of technical and technological innovation
24. Investigate the possible establishment of a provincially-based State University to provide high-quality graduates for professional roles within the state public service

C. Policies and practices

25. Encourage educational institutions to make the principles of justice, ecological sustainability, democracy and peace central to their visions, policies and practices.
26. Apply anti-discrimination laws to all educational institutions, public and private.
27. Review and research the problem of bullying in consultation with the Queensland Teachers Union, other teacher organisations, parents, behavioural experts and other interested parties.
28. Investigate and develop strategies to reduce inappropriate student behaviour.
29. Phase out poor quality food and drinks in all public school canteens and replace them with those that promote healthy development.
30. Encourage healthy lifestyles through physical activity by promoting ‘Walk or Ride to School’ programs.
31. Ensure that any corporate advertising, sponsorship and other involvement in schools is compatible with the educational goals of schooling and in the interests of the school communities, particularly of the students.
32. Negotiate to bring about uniform starting and finishing ages for school students in all states and territories of Australia.
33. Apply ethical principles to purchasing policies for materials, educational resources, food and drink, school uniforms and sporting equipment.
34. Apply the principle of ecological sustainability to decisions about the location and design of educational institutions, the day-to-day management of educational sites and the formal and informal behaviours encouraged within the institution.
35. Promote a holistic vision of peace through the modelling of peaceful, respectful relationships by staff and the encouragement of such relationships among students both inside and outside the classroom.
36. Promote participatory democracy in educational institutions, where appropriate, by facilitating the active participation of community members – staff, students, parents, carers and local residents.