25 October 1999
Funding for
rural and remote school education
under scrutiny ahead of rural summit
Federal programs for rural and remote education, including the allocation of funding, will be closely scrutinised at a public hearing in Canberra tomorrow.
The hearing, coinciding with the start of the Rural Summit, will be critical in determining recommendations for the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote School Education. The Inquiry is examining the particular difficulties associated with rural and remote school education.
The hearing will be conducted by the Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti, who will also be attending the Summit. The Commonwealth Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) will make submissions and answer questions about its policies in relation to rural school education. Mr Sidoti's questions for DETYA will be based on evidence gathered at public hearings and community meetings throughout Australia during the past eight months.
Some of the issues to be raised with DETYA include:
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eligibility criteria for income support for isolated children and isolated students with disabilities
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subsidies for communications infrastructure available to rural and remote areas and
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federal strategies to improve rural staff recruitment.
"We are finding that disadvantaged groups in rural and remote areas are being denied the resources and the programs they need to address severe education problems," Mr Sidoti said. "We want to find out how the Commonwealth and other national organisations accommodate the unique local needs of different communities into their programs and activities."
Other speakers to address the hearing will include representatives from the Australian Council of Deans, the Isolated Children's Parents' Association and the National Council of Independent Schools Associations.
The hearing will take place:
Date: Tuesday
October 26 1999
Time: 9.00am to 5.45pm (DETYA scheduled for 10.00-12.00)
Place: Olim's Canberra Hotel, Ainslie, ACT
For further information and interview requests please call Jackie Randles on (02) 9284 9880 or 0419 258 597.
Last updated 2 December 2001.
