‘Stop whining’: Exclusive schools slammed

The top of an influential faculties union has taken goal at two high-profile Sydney non-public faculties, accusing them of “disingenuous, bleating victimhood”.

NSW Lecturers Federation president Henry Rajendra will use his speech at Friday’s 2024 Principal’s Convention to lash the “entrenched” privilege of personal faculties, and make particular reference to Cranbrook Faculty and The King’s Faculty, which cost college charges of as much as $46,497 and $43,560 per yr respectively – not together with boarding prices.

Regardless of this, each faculties nonetheless obtained thousands and thousands in authorities funding, Cranbrook receives $6.5m in federal and state funding, as reported by the Australian Monetary Evaluate.

In 2020, The King’s Faculty controversially obtained greater than $21m, which included $8m in JobKeeper.

“They assume they’re above questioning. That the extent of public funding they obtain is off limits,” Mr Rajendra will say.

“That is like beginning on the crease with 99 runs after which complaining about having to face one other ball to get your century.”

His feedback come as Kings headmaster Tony George got here underneath fireplace for feedback made within the college’s journal Chief, which stated: “Youngsters attending non-government faculties [are] being more and more focused and ridiculed”.

“Authorities single-sex faculties have appeared to keep away from criticism, as have single-sex women’ faculties,” Mr George wrote.

“Nevertheless, the underlying agenda towards the straw man of white privileged males has fuelled the creation of the time period poisonous masculinity and the spiritual fervour it subsequently generates.”

Mr Rajendra will even to announce a visual marketing campaign to name on the federal authorities to correctly fund public faculties, with present ranges leaving NSW public faculties underfunded by about $1.9bn, or 11 per cent worse off.

“The social, financial and ethical logic of plugging these holes is obvious. However it appears we should additionally apply political logic. So that’s what we’ll do,” he’ll say.

“Beginning subsequent week, the Lecturers Federation commences a visual, excessive impression marketing campaign in goal Labor seats to persuade federal Labor MPs to take a position sooner or later,” he’ll say.

“They’ll see us and listen to us, and our message will resonate among the many households of the 62 per cent of scholars who attend NSW public faculties.”

He will even say growing funding public training was additionally a “political alternative” for the federal Labor Celebration, who may win again the NSW seats of Fowler and Lindsay, which each have about 21,000 public college college students.

Not doing so may result in a “Coalition assault,” particularly within the seats of Werriwa, Parramatta and Macarthur.

“We shall be relentless in making the case in these essential electoral battlegrounds and past,” Mr Rajendra will say.

In NSW the federal authorities chips in 20 per cent of the benchmark funding as described by the Education Useful resource Customary (SRS), with the state authorities promising to contribute 75 per cent by 2025.

This leaves a 5 per cent hole.

Underneath the present deal, no public college throughout Australia, aside from the ATC, receives authorities funding which meets the SRS, with federal and state governments coming into into negotiations to right the hole.

To this point, solely Western Australia has accepted a 2.5 per cent improve, nonetheless different states, together with NSW, will proceed pushing for the 25 per cent Commonwealth funding.

Deputy Premier and Schooling and Early Studying Minister Prue Automobile stated negotiations with the Commonwealth authorities stay ongoing, with the federal government searching for a 5 per cent improve.

“The NSW Authorities is already lifting our share of funding to 75 per cent of the SRS, and we’re pushing for the Commonwealth to come back to the desk and canopy the remaining 5 per cent hole to totally fund all Australian public faculties,” she stated.

“The Commonwealth authorities has deep pockets and I shall be combating for each greenback to make sure households within the nation’s largest state aren’t short-changed.

“Securing this assist will see all public college college students assured a world-class training, in fashionable services, irrespective of their postcode or their mother and father’ revenue.”