Dr Carmen Lawrence, a member of the Gonski panel, said it would be 'unthinkable' if states did not sign up and the extra money flowed only to the non-government sectors that needed it the least. 'The whole plan is based on increasing the amount of money to the most needy schools,' she said. The figures reveal Victorian Catholic schools would receive an extra $379 million over six years, independent schools an extra $265 million and state schools an extra $3.5 billion. But state schools will benefit only if Victoria contributes 35 per cent of the total $4.2 billion, commits to a 3 per cent increase in education spending every year and signs up to school improvement reforms. NSW and the ACT are the only jurisdictions to have signed so far. Ms Gillard said she did not want to see Victorian schools get left behind.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:39:39 +0000