In a major education announcement as students return from the summer break,Labor says its election pledge would see more teachers and counsellors as well as an ongoing tutoring program using highly trained teachers to provide intensive support to students who need the most help.
Tutoring groups can help children catch up.iStock
Labor says the funding commitment over four years would also see NSW reach 75 per cent of its schooling resource standard (SRS) by 2025 – two years earlier than the NSW Coalition.
This would take NSW to 95 per cent of its SRS commitment because 80 per cent of funding comes from the state government while the federal government provides the remaining 20 per cent.
The SRS,a recommendation of the landmark Gonski reforms,is the minimum cost of educating a student. NSW Labor is prepared to top up the shortfall to reach 100 per cent if an agreement with the federal government cannot be reached when the funding deal expires at the end of next year.
The Coalition,which introduced small-group tutoring after COVID lockdowns to support school students who fell behind,has also announced a $253 million funding boost to continue the program for this school year.
Schools have already been provided $80 million in tutoring funding for the start of 2023,which will now be supplemented by an extra $173 million.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the tutoring program had been “overwhelmingly positive” and it was a “no-brainer to boost the funding for this coming school year”.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns said his party’s tutoring program would operate in primary and high schools,but with particular focus on this year’s year 10 grade,which last year recorded some of the “worst NAPLAN outcomes in the state’s history”.
“Everywhere I go I hear of children falling behind at school,due to cancelled classes and falling outcomes,” Minns said.
“This government has had 12 years to turn education around in this state and they’ve failed. Under Labor,schools will be fully funded,we’ll have more teachers in classrooms,kids off their devices and focusing on their learning.”
Minns said Labor’s tutoring program would help up to an extra 18,000 students by the end of 2023.
A on school funding said that an analysis of studies of small-group tuition identified that it can improve learning outcomes in reading by up to four months,and mathematics outcomes by up to three months.
Minns said teachers employed in the current COVID Intensive Learning Support Program (ILSP) can have their term extended to work in Labor’s proposed permanent tutoring program.
Labor has already promised to convert 10,000 temporary teachers to permanent positions if it wins the March 25 poll,as well as cutting administration hours for teachers by five hours per week and banning the use of mobile phones by students in all NSW public schools to reduce distraction.
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