Determined campaign to defend Victorian schools

By Kylie Budge

MELBOURNE -- Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett is continuing to implement his vision of education -- against the wishes of teachers, students and parents.

Education minister Don Hayward outlined to the Melbourne Age on January 21 this “revolutionary vision”, which includes making up to 200 state schools fully self-managed by July.

This “Schools of the Future” scheme is a pilot program involving the appointment of business managers to each school and putting most principals on contracts with performance provisions. Hayward has said that he expects most schools to be part of the new system by the end of the Liberals' first term in office.

Grave concerns are held by unions and the community that the government's real aim is more cuts to the education sector, further erosion of teaching conditions and more job losses.

In NSW a similar scheme was implemented by the Coalition state government to shift the burden of funding more on to school communities and to make principals carry the can for making teachers work harder and in poorer conditions.

While the government is talking about its “Schools of the Future”, two of the 55 schools which have been officially consigned to the past are fighting their case in the Supreme Court because the students, teachers and general community do not want to see them closed and sold off to developers.

Solicitors representing Northland and Richmond secondary colleges are appealing against a ruling by the Equal Opportunity Board last week. The board ordered that the buildings and services be preserved but made no order on staffing.

Both schools have held community meetings and have vowed to continue their campus occupations and to begin classes next week. A determined meeting of 50 campaigners in Richmond on January 21 decided to continue with classes in 1993. They are seeking school administrators from the Victorian Secondary Teachers' Association and the Richmond City Council. Voluntary teachers the government calls in “excess” will work at the school.

The meeting also discussed getting primary schools in the area to use the school's recently completed technology centre so that its facilities are not wasted. The meeting recognised the need for functioning programs to enable the school to continue.

At risk are both the quality of education for students and jobs for many teachers. The issue of job protection is central to this campaign because there will be another round of closures in the near future.

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