The Federal Government Opposition has announced it will bring together parents, teachers and principals for a forum to discuss strategies to improve schools and student results.
Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek told AAP the November 20 event in Melbourne will be about ensuring the $17 billion extra Labor has pledged to spend on schools is used to maximise student improvement.
“Labor is hosting this national schools’ forum to identify and discuss the changes needed to ensure excellence, tackle educational disadvantage and make certain all Australian children leave school with the skills they need to participate in their community and in our changing economy,” she said on Wednesday.
“We want all Australian schools to be great schools, where children make strong progress each and every year.”
In attendance will be participants from the Australian Education Union, the NSW P&C Federation, the Australian Primary Principals Association, the Secondary Principals Association, the National Catholic Education Commission, the Independent Schools Council of Australia, the Independent Education Union, and Children and Young People with Disability Australia.
The Federal Government is waiting on the results of a review by David Gonski to report back to the government by March on how to achieve educational greatness.
Teachers and principals will talk about their everyday experiences in the classroom.
The Turnbull government has commissioned businessman David Gonski to lead a review of how best to achieve educational excellence in schools, to report back by March.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham told AAP the Opposition would use the forum as “as nothing more than a photo opp”.
“This forum is Labor turning their back on David Gonski and his work,” he said, calling on the opposition to back the new review of education initiatives.
Labor argues the government’s Gonski 2.0 reforms is disadvantageous to the nation’s poorest children and takes billions away from funding schools were expecting over the next decade.
