The Strong Independents has announced its policy on primary education: a five-point plan for ACT public schools to provide education based on evidence from the NAPLAN, the Grattan Institute Report, and Equity Economics.
According to NAPLAN, the education system in the ACT is failing nearly 30 per cent of students, the independent politicians note: around 7,500 primary aged children are not at the level of literacy that they should have achieved.
“It is inconceivable that the City/State of Canberra should perform so poorly in the most basic of needs for children,” candidates Peter Strong and Ann Bray said. “It is an indictment on this government.”
“The results for ACT students in literacy and numeracy are not good enough,” Ms Bray said. “We are the jurisdiction with the highest socio-economic status in Australia, and all students (regardless of background) should receive the best education. The evidence on the need for teaching phonetics has been clear for a long time now. We must pivot quickly. Supporting our teachers is the key.”
“Literacy and numeracy are basic human rights in any democracy,” Mr Strong said. “Too many school children in the ACT’s education system have been let down. If a child cannot read and comprehend effectively by Year Three, then they will struggle for their whole lives unless professional intervention is made by the time they graduate from Year Six. We want our kids to have the best opportunities and to be able to achieve their goals in life. We are strong believers in the need for a quality public education system.”
Strong Independents’ five-point plan that involves literacy instruction aligned with the evidence on best-practice; mandatory phonetics screening in Year One, as per Australia-wide recommendations, including constant assessment of progress; supporting teachers with development and provision of resources such as decodable books, so the plan can be implemented as soon as possible; increase in small group support and one-on-one support for students who struggle with literacy and numeracy; and increased psychological support at schools to help with mental health issues.
“The evidence is clear.” Ms Bray said. “Teach kids to sound out words – phonetics. Why was the ACT one of the last jurisdictions to follow the changed Australian Curriculum and introduce Year One phonics checking? The ACT Catholic schools saw the problem and changed, and over the last four years their results have improved dramatically.”
“The Strong Independents believe that we cannot, must not, blame the teachers and parents,” the party said. “It’s a failure of leadership by this Government who have been in power for 23 years. We should support our teachers to be retrained, to have the right resources, to have the right in-class support and the environment to give our kids the best shot at life. Our teachers do care deeply about our children. Let’s empower them by giving them back their weekends.”
Mr Strong added: “Better educated children are more satisfied at school and better engaged. A teenager who is struggling with reading and writing would rather look naughty than dumb. They will more likely goof off in class, or worse. It’s not their fault, however it is causing disruption and difficulties for teachers.”
“More psychologists at school will provide an improved supportive environment for children and for the teachers and through that for parents and carers,” the candidates said. “It’s all connected. Children need to learn to read so they can read to learn. Strong Independents will be relentless to make our education system fit for purpose and the best for the community.”
The ACT Government announced last year that it would conduct an independent inquiry into literacy and numeracy in the ACT, following a motion from Canberra Liberals MLA Jeremy Hanson.
