QLD Shadow minister for Community Services, Housing and Women and State Member for Burdekin Rosemary Menkens writes:
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Rosemary Menkens
The Federal Government is blatantly discriminating against the School of Distance Education.
I know of one school that had gained approval under the Primary Schools of the 21st century fund had been told their application was withdrawn as they were a School of Distance Education.
This is blatant discrimination against the children in the bush.
These federal funds are for building libraries etc and this school based in Charters Towers, which has more than 350 students, wanted a library.
Information that was given to me was that the school submitted an application to the Federal Department of Education and Training on May 1, about seven days later they had a phone call to say that their submission had been accepted and the details were verified.
Less than two weeks later, the school received yet another phone call from the department telling them their application for funding had been withdrawn as they were a distance education school.
I thought these funds were for all schools and nowhere can I find in the eligibility criteria that Schools of Distance Education can’t apply.
These schools still have to have buildings to house their resources and for the department to accept their submission then three weeks later withdraw it is appalling.
Children living in rural areas had far more unmet educational needs than those in urban areas where accessing educational tools, such as a library, was much easier.
This school gives children in rural and remote regions a quality education and is an essential party of their lives.
The Charters Towers base was the first Distance Education School to open in Queensland and lead the way in using technology to communicate with students from Prep through to Year 12 and beyond.
The Federal Government should realise that there are thousands of children, like those educated by the School of Distance Education in Charters Towers, and they deserve to share in the funds being given to all schools.
(See article from Dianne Hansen the Chair of the Schools of Distance Education Alliance Parent Network.)
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