Philip O'Carroll's Letters to The Editor

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States Should Fix Own Schools

The Age January 9 2004        Friday, January 09, 2004

Why is the State Government making loud noises about forcing non-government schools to meet tougher teaching and learning requirements? Outcomes suggest quite the opposite: they need to devote their energies to raising the education performance of their own schools.

Perhaps it is a diversion intended to distract attention from the worst-performing sector. They say the increased controls are "in exchange for" State Government funding. This odd language to use against tax-paying families who are already unfairly punished for daring to choose a non-state education provider. The real question is how do they justify their grossly biased funding regime that traps many children in the worst performing schools?

Philip O'Carroll