Progressive Labour Party Education Policy
Endorsed by National Council, 30th January 2000

(Note the asterisked sentence has only draft status, and will be subject to further discussion.)

Preamble

The PLP considers education to be of the highest priority in any formulation of civil society. As such this preamble wants to reassert the principle of education being a fundamental human right, not a commodity as is the mindset presently. The right of education, and discussion of education as a right, openly and publicly, by the PLP will be done to attempt to offset this commodification. Quality, accessibility and diversity are the mainstays of this education policy and the goals for which the PLP will be and should be, forever striving.

The PLP also believes that the most important way to secure such an education system is to have adequate funding from the Commonwealth and State Governments in recognition of the fact that through taxation, citizens have already paid for this education. This forms part of the assumption of the role of the state being the body that equitably redistributes resources amongst the people.

The PLP recognises the fluency and enforced flexibility required of education today, therefore establishing a quality system which the community may take part in, for the duration of their lives. Whilst ensuring the vocational aspects of education, the PLP believes that the approach to education should also be for its own sake, recognising the broader community interest in a strong, challenging and well funded system. Such a system should foster respect, sensitivity, critical inquiry, creativity and conviction in all those who share in this system, namely, our community.

1. Principles

Education is a fundamental right and seen as an essential avenue for participation of individuals in all areas of our society. As such this system will be:

• free
• lifelong
• available to all
• efficient, equitable, diverse
• to be at the highest quality throughout
• maximise community ability and participation
• essential to the future of Australia

Education is one of the means through which each person is able to fulfil their potential, individually and socially. This will be done by:

• Achievement of essential skills of reading, writing, speaking and numeracy
• A well developed understanding of the community, society and the world
• An understanding of how to participate constructively in all areas of society
• Teaching all to respect difference and recognise similarity, generating harmony between people and the environment engendering co-operation before competition
• Generating autonomy in learning.

Education occurs:

within the presence on primary care givers, in early childcare, primary and secondary schools and in the tertiary sector in the home, at work, in clubs and through the media individually, face to face and by distance in continuing education and retraining of people in and out of the workplace in adult education opportunities provided in schools, tertiary institutions, TAFEs, voluntary agencies and in the community.

Education crucially affects all members of society and an effective education must be based on:

A gender inclusive curriculum (see women's policy) and equal opportunities to learn. a government adequately and fully funded only the public education system, including support for public community education. establishment of policy bodies consisting of policy makers, educators, parents, students and voluntary agencies who each share equal power. establish a curriculum development process which will bring about a truly inclusive approach to indigenous peoples, the working class, and migrant groups. active monitoring and mentoring programs particularly for students who are performing poorly, particularly in numeracy and literacy. particular support for those with a disability to access and fully participate in all levels of the system introduction of affirmative action programs for traditionally marginalised groups. we resist any attempt to interpret the word "disadvantaged" in such a way to advantage already privileged groups. the recognition that some so-called "discipline" problems are often a product of the mainly ruling class curriculum.

2. Re-establishing Public Education

The PLP recognises that the school education system is in disarray due to successive government and acute underfunding and preferencing schooling models of the private sector. Worse, the moving of public funds away from public education to private education. In order to re-establish and maintain a quality public school education system, adequate resources need to be redirected. [* This also involves a reappropriation of funds and resources from the private school sector to the public.] This further includes greater community access to schools after schooling terms and hours. The aim of the PLP is to create the greatest diversity of excellent public education, publicly funded.

Similarly in the tertiary and vocational sectors of public education the PLP requires adequate levels of funding catering for the needs of the community. The PLP acknowledges that the government has the significant role and responsibility for ensuring that tertiary and vocational institutions are provided with an adequate infrastructure and framework. This environment would foster the support and protection required in maximising human outcomes within these institutions. A key responsibility for the government is in supporting smaller, newer and regional institutions, ensuring equality regardless of geography.

The teaching profession:

Teachers are the hands in which much of our community rests and their importance has been seriously neglected over the last 10 to 15 years. The PLP aims to redress this issue. Moreover, good teachers are essential in meeting the right of the community to education. The PLP asserts that:

• Teachers are employed by the state rates of pay are determined and paid by the government appropriate levels of pay exist at all periods of a teachers career training is commensurate with the level of responsibility of teachers.

3. The Education System

The PLP will promote a challenging and effective education system accessible to all.

At all levels teacher-student ratios should be as low as reasonably possible, 1:20 should be the maximum at primary and secondary schools.

In conjunction with lower teacher-student ratios the required complement of support and ancillary staff and programs should be available, examples being counsellors, remedial teachers and specialists community-based support for education programs and institutions will be actively encouraged and fostered discipline at primary and secondary levels should be based on conflict resolution models. There will be no corporal punishment at appropriate levels student representative bodies will be established having direct democratic influence on all decisions made.

Academic Freedom and Intellectual Property Rights

The PLP is committed to the autonomy of universities and staff in academic pursuit and supports the intellectual property rights of education workers.

Vocational Educational and Training

The PLP believes that a serious reassessment of the vocational training sector is required as recognition of the deskilling that has occurred in the workforce. This requires:

• strengthening and promotion of the apprenticeship scheme introduction of affirmative action programs for traditionally marginalised groups an integration of the unemployed into voluntary vocational training and educational programs.

Community Education

The PLP believes that non-institutional, community- based providers of tertiary education should be encouraged, adequately resourced and monitored. As a means of empowering communities the PLP will:

• increase funding for acknowledged community education.
• encourage increased provision of adult basic education through education institutions and community providers.

That we promote our education policy by agitating around the following platform of fighting demands:

•  
• Free, quality, secular education - no up front university fees; abolish the Higher Education Contribution Scheme.
• abolish all TAFE tuition and materials fees and tuition fees for post graduate and overseas students; stop public schools from imposing fees in the form of "voluntary levies".
• A guaranteed independent income for students - a fully indexed, living wage for students set well above eth poverty line: abolish the Austudy loans Scheme.
• Increased funding for public education - fund tertiary and TAFE places for all who qualify; end government funding of private training providers and schools; halt forced amalgamations and school closures; increase corporate taxes to fund education and training.
• Diverse and needs-based staffing of public education from kindergarten to university - improve quality by hiring more permanent teaching staff to reduce teacher workload and class sizes; reverse the casualisation of employment in all sectors of education; no discrimination in employment; affirmative action programs to train and hire more
• Aboriginal educators and more women on non-traditional areas; stop the harassment of union activists and other dissenters.
• Guaranteed access for all - increase funding for English as a Second Language programs; teach courses in Aboriginal and other community languages; boost resources to integrate students with disabilities; expand childcare.
• Places at universities and TAFE colleges; full funding for literacy campaigns: every person has the right to learn to read and write; develop, fund and enforce policies to ensure that women, migrants, Aboriginal people, gays and lesbians and people with disabilities have access to an education free from harassment, stereotyping and discrimination; education in an atmosphere of civil liberties for a;; viewpoints and respect for dissidence and non-conformity.
• Curriculum which serves the needs of students - eliminate stereotyping in curriculum materials and resources; run courses which explore and teach about the history of oppression including women's studies. Aboriginal studies, ethnic studies, gay and lesbian studies and labour studies; education for life , not just work.
• Student, staff and community control of education - student control of student affairs: independent student unions;
• Replace business representatives on governing councils with elected union, student and community representatives.

Note: Three alternatives have been suggested for the asterisked sentence- see in purple above

1. Leave it as it is;
2. Amend the sentence, to be advised;
3. Delete the sentence.