By Stephen Robson
PERTH — A document produced by the state Education Ministry proposes to devolve education to the local school level. Titled "Devolution:the next phase", the paper created a furore when it was leaked to the West Australian on May 27.
The document clearly indicates that education will join many other areas under attack by the Court Liberal-National government.
The devolution plan would have teachers traded as commodities. Experience in teaching will actually be a liability unless teachers are prepared to take a cut in conditions.
These attacks on education fuelled a strong response from the State School Teachers Union. It was more involved than any other union in the strike and protest on June 17, at the opening of state parliament.
The paper proposes that a new education act be proclaimed in 1994 that would allow schools to set up and collect fees from 1995, and select their own staff from 1996.
The plan proposes that "all principals would be progressively placed on five-year contracts, and school decision-making groups would be involved in principal selection".
Schools could be given the power to decide what fees they charge to supplement their ministry budgets. They would then be responsible for spending, staffing, operating costs and maintenance. Teachers would be expected to be involved in a significant amount of non-teaching work.
Already specialised "super" schools with special selection criteria exist in the public education system. These schools have a larger proportion of students who go on to university.
Devolution would take these schools to a further level, institutionalising two levels of public education.
Those schools where parents were wealthier would be in a better position to expand resources and attract experienced teachers. Schools in areas of low income and high unemployment would provide "no frills" education. Relying on the market is a sure recipe for inequality.
In New Zealand government attempts to introduce individual teacher contracts have been largely unsuccessful because of organised opposition by unions. The Australian Council for Educational Administration, a Melbourne-based think-tank, says that only 70 out of 2700 schools in New Zealand have agreed to take responsibility for day-to-day financial control.
Peter Quinn, general secretary of the SSTU, told Green Left Weekly that it was possible to organise against the government plans. He mentioned that in New South Wales a similar plan has just been dropped by the Fahey government.
"If unions and their members fight hard against something like this they can dissuade governments, zealots, ideologues."
Poor schools with low enrolments in low income areas would be closed, Quinn predicted. In the country this would result in many students spending long hours being bused to regional schools. Those with low enrolments which were better off would remain open.
The devolution plan wants "flexibility" on a number of areas which will undermine union conditions. Quinn pointed to class sizes, length of the school day and duties other than teaching (DOT).
Already a 12-hour day for teachers was tried at one school in 1992. Quinn thought the 12-hour day may be attractive to individual teachers; however, the result if it is implemented will be to undermine conditions for all teachers.
In WA there are currently 18,000 teachers employed by
the state government, 15,000 of whom are union members.
The state's population is expanding quite rapidly, so any cutbacks in education expenditure will quickly affect conditions.
Capital expenditure is already falling behind what is needed to maintain a reasonable infrastructure. For example, Willetton Senior High School in Perth's south-west has a capacity for 1250 students. This year it has 1800 students and by 1995 is expected to reach over 2000.
The Education Ministry has no plans to build extra facilities, despite the fact that already 23 demountable classrooms are in use.
While Quinn didn't think the federal government was supporting the devolution model, he said its funding programs were facilitating devolution. They have opened the door to greater flexibility in conditions and enterprise bargaining.