Page 1127 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 22 August 1989
Next page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Tuesday, 22 August 1989
_______________________
MR SPEAKER (Mr Prowse) took the chair at 2.30 pm and read the prayer.
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Schools Administration
MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. Last week the Department of Education released an information paper on extended school self-management, outlining the intention of the department to devolve responsibility for financial, administrative and personnel matters upon the schools.
Would the Minister explain how he envisages this added workload and responsibility is to be effected, since no reference was made to additional funding allocations to schools to cover the costs of implementing and running the program, nor yet has there been suggested any staffing increases at the school level or salary increases for those school based staff already in place and expected to take on the extra responsibilities.
MR WHALAN: Mr Speaker, I thank the member for the question. Clearly, this is part of the Government's commitment to devolve and decentralise responsibility for administration of the school system, and it highlights the enhanced role of school boards in the management of schools, the formalisation of the process of the regional school boards and the opportunities that they have of a statutory nature to be actively involved in the school management process.
This, of course, is not new, and it has been part of the development of the collaborative arrangements between all the elements of the schools community. It is a process which has been going on for quite some time. Over a long period it has been gradually evolving and developing. Our system is a dynamic one which experiences change, most of which comes about gradually. I would like to see a situation emerging in the future in which there are greater opportunities for schools, both at the individual level and in adjoining regions, to participate in decision making, whereby they can share the resources that they have to suit the particular needs of a local community.
MR MOORE: I wish to ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Accepting the principle of devolving for administrative efficiency and so forth, is there any truth to the rumour that eight additional staffing positions are to be created at the administrative level of the department to facilitate the implementation of the program?
Next page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .