LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – St Philip’s College Principal, Roger Herbert, yesterday met with Minister for Education Selena Uibo (pictured) and the Department of Education CEO Vicki Baylis to discuss the reduction in the Supplementary Boarding Fund which placed boarding at St Philip’s College in a difficult financial position.
It was agreed that the funding for St Philip’s College boarding would be restored to its original levels for the next two years. During this time both parties will continue discussions about this important topic.
This agreement will allow St Philip’s College to continue to offer boarding so that any student in Central Australia, the NT and other rural and remote regions of the country has access to a quality education.
This was the vision and intention of College Founder, Rev Dr Fred McKay and is what the college has been doing successfully for the past 53 years.
The Territory government will also continue to fund the Isolated Students Education Allowance, NT Student Travel Scheme and the NT Mid Term Travel Scheme.
Over the next two years greater clarity will be gained on the Federal government’s national funding arrangement for all schools in Australia and the report by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on Indigenous boarding funding should be finalised and delivered.
In these changing and challenging times due to funding uncertainty in education, I would once again like to thank the minister for her government’s commitment to education for all rural and remote children in Central Australia and the NT and for boarding students in particular.
Jill Jansons
Director of Marketing and Community Relations, St Philip’s College
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
Isn’t that something? A minister of the NT Government has listened to concerns about a government decision, and reversed it in a day.
Little aggravation, and great relief for many, I should think.
Minister Selena Uibo has set a fine example – now, if only certain others of her colleagues would take notice of public concern about the NT Government’s poor decision-making over the location of the proposed National Aboriginal Art Gallery…
Great outcome … as it needed to be.
Pleased to see funding will continue to support rural and remote families able keep their children boarding at St Philip’s, and other colleges, and so receive mainstream education.
IMHO restoring level of funding is not sufficient.
It’s clear many rural and remote students grossly fail to achieve their potential.
It’s easy enough to provide schools for pre, infants and primary, however secondary education in many areas lacks population to justify secondary schools.
There exists still a failure to provide equality of opportunity in education for rural and remote families.
Alice Springs and other Schools of the Air demonstrate how improved internet enables lower cost specialist secondary educators to conduct rural and remote classes and discussions using video link with local support, but is this currently and regularly provided and used?
Education can ensure equality of opportunity.
There exists considerable room for improvement from Commonwealth, states and territories, each share responsibility for the social disease of failure to thrive in education.