Disability Does Not Recognise Sector Diivide

< BACK TO EDUCATION starstarstarstarstar   People - Education Press Release
9th November 2009, 08:00am - Views: 954





Kingsdene Parent Group – Media Release –       9 November, 2009 


Disadvantage is not the same as disability so the Education Revolution means

some students will continue to be more socially included than others.

 

Unlike Brendan Nelson when he was Federal Education Minister, Ms Julia Gillard

has refused to meet with parents of students with disabilities in relation to the closure

of their children’s school.

 

“In August Ms Gillard met with and listened to students who could put their concerns

to her personally and directly about proposed changes to youth allowance adversely

affecting their ability to attend University. Yet a request to meet the Minister from

parents of students who cannot speak for themselves because of their severe

intellectual disabilities has been refused with no reason offered.” said Vanessa

Browne parent of a student at Kingsdene Special School.

 

“This brings into question the Rudd government’s high-sounding rhetoric on people

with disabilities and social inclusion “said Ms Browne

 

Since the 1820s children with disabilities were educated  in charity-operated special

schools, government is a Johnny-come-lately in giving educational opportunity to

students with disabilities to learn about the world, gain skills and wherever possible to

eventually gain employment and pay taxes like everyone else.  In NSW over 20% of

all students with severe disabilities are still educated in charity-operated schools.

 

Now Kingsdene is closing and  the viability of a number of these schools is precarious

because the students are not funded in the same way as their peers in government

schools; they are funded on a fiction of socio-economic disadvantage rather than the

fact of their disability.  

 

“Equity not charity should be the basis of any funding mechanism for students with

disabilities irrespective of the educational setting.” said Bernadette Moloney.

 

Vanessa Browne said: “For decades all governments have penny-pinched on the

education of students with disabilities in all sectors and shamelessly toyed with some

of the most disabled students in the country who are educated in small charity-

operated special schools. It is time to end the cheapskate sectoral funding games and

equitably fund, irrespective of the school system, students with disabilities on the

basis of their educational needs having regard to their disability. Kingsdene has been

pushed over the brink and its closure will  invariably add greater financial stress to an

already stretched public education sector because the students at Kingsdene have

significant and severe disabilities. The public education sector ill afford more

closures”. 

 

We call on the Rudd government to find the moral courage lacked by all previous

governments to grant specific targeted funds to non-government special schools so

they remain viable and in doing so close the equity gap for students whose disabilities

do not recognise sectoral divides.

 

Media Contact: Vanessa Browne  0403762111 and Bernadette Moloney 04096602000






news articles logo NEWS ARTICLES
Contact News Articles |Remove this article