Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Education Minister Lauren Moss about the Government's Engagement Strategy

Transcript

Katie spoke with Education Minister Lauren Moss about the Government's Engagement Strategy · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is just on half past nine.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: Now we know that the Northern Territory government has released
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: a new ten year strategy for attendance in the territory
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: and the plan does aim to boost attendance and also
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: includes a review of the current Northern Territory school funding model.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Now joining me on the line is the Education Minister,
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: Lauren Moss. Good morning to your minister.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, Good morning to your listeners.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Now you have announced the new ten year engagement strategy
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: this week.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Why is this needed?
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Oh?
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Look, I think the issues around attendance and engagement across
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: the Northern Territory are well known. You know, we do
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: have declining attendance, particularly remote, very remote areas of the
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: Northern Territory. And you know, I think we all know
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: that every single child deserves to be having the very
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: best education every day and going to school every day.
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: And in order to do that, we really had to
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: have an honest conversation about the barriers and what we
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: needed to see and change across the system. So I'm
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: pretty pre out of the work that the Department's done
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: in collaboration and partnership with communities across the Northern Territory.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: On this particular strategy.
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: Now I know, as you've touched on their school attendance,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: it is such a big issue. It is something which
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: is a concern obviously in remote communities, but also urban areas,
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: you know, one which we hear a lot about. I
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: guess on this show people getting in contact with us
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: saying that there's kids at shopping centers or doing the
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: wrong thing.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: When they should be at school.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: What are you hoping that this review into the attendance
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: is going to find, because I suppose you already know
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: that for some kids they're not turning up and they're
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: not engaged.
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Yes, I think the most important thing about the strategy
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: is that there will be local implementation plans, so you know,
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: for example, it will look different here in Darwin, for example,
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: than it might look in a remote community, but the
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: foundations will remain the same. So we've we've gone out,
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: We've had lots and lots of conversations with people right
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: across the Northern Terror and the scenes have been the
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: same everywhere. You know, we need to strengthen what we're
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: doing around well being and inclusion in our schools. We
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: need to strengthen our relationships with families and the community
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: and other partners. We need to make sure that we've
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: got the right people in the classroom and we're you know,
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: supporting teachers properly, and we really need to make sure
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: that we're fostering a really strong sense of culture and
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: identity amongst all of our students across the Northern Territory.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: So those foundations will remain the same, and I think
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: as we shift and build on that across the Northern Territory,
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: we will have a more engaging educational experience for our kids.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: But I think the most important thing about the strategy
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: for me is twenty six percent of the feedback came
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: directly from children and young people, and that includes young
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: people in you know, who've experienced education in the detention
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: system and young people who have experienced distance education and
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: a whole range of other challenges and experiences. And that's
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: vital I think to making sure that we're getting this right.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Was twenty six percent of the kids that have taken
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: part in this, I mean, why are some of them
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: saying that they're not turning up to school or that
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: they're not engaged.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: Well, there's all the reasons that I think we know about,
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: and we've talked about a lot in terms of you know,
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: housing and family and domestic violence and a whole range
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: of other things that might be going on for a
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: young person. And you know what, we had some Youth
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: round Table members talking about this yesterday and one of
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: them was so eloquent about if you've got to meet
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: the needs of the young person first before you can
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: even start to engage them. And I think that's absolutely right.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: But you know, we heard a lot from young people
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: just talking about the fact that they didn't think the
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: learning was relevant to them or meaningful for them, And
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: I think there is a lot of work to be done.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: That's not just about what we do here in the
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: Northern Territory. That's about the Australian curriculum as well, and
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: how we make sure that learning is relevant and that
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: young people can actually see what the outcomes are for
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: them going through the school system, what's actually possible for them.
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: So we've got a lot of work to do with
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: our partners. Those partners obviously include organizations like CDU and
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: Bachelor Institute and others. But I think we're definitely on
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: the right path here and we really have to embed
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: those voices through the implementation now, because that's the big test,
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: that's the biggest bit of work.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: I know that the opposition has said that there were
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: only twenty one schools that were consulted as part of this.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Is that the case and if so, why.
• 4:33
  Speaker 3: Look there were Actually I don't have the exact figure
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: of schools that were consulted off the top of my head.
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: There are around a thousand Territorians who were consulted as
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: part of this. There were many many public forums which
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: anybody could attend, which were families, lang counsels, other partners, children,
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: young people for example, and there was around fifty submissions.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: So actually it's been really significant consultation and it hasn't
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: just happened at school level, it's happened at community level
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: as well. Yesterday I talked to a large proportion of
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: our educational leaders across the Northern Territory and I was
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: really pleased with the feedback from principals and school saying
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: they can see how they can use this in their
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: school Now.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: I know that the government's also commissioned, obviously the review
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: of the Northern Territory's effective enrollment funding model, so under
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: which that funding is allocated in part based on school
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: attendance rather than enrollment. The model has been labeled as
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: unfair for remote parts of the Northern Territory by some
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: where attendance obviously fluctuates over the year, making it more
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: difficult for some of those schools to fund sort of
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: re engagement efforts or plan for some of that classroom resourcing.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: But should a school actually be receiving funding if kids
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: aren't going to school?
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: Look, I think it's a really complex area, as you
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: can imagine, Katie. We have an education budget and we
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: need to make sure that we'rein that education budget we're
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: distributing funding as effectively and fairly as possible for all students,
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: and that includes making sure that schools are properly resourced
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: to engage kids who might not be engaging, and that
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: goes through urban areas as well as remote areas. So
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: I have heard that feedback really strongly. There's been a
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: number of looks at the funding model. You'd be well aware, Katie,
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: the funding model changed quite dramatically in twenty fifteen the
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: former CLP government made a big change and went to
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: global school budgets. There was a significant amount of money
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: actually removed from the system at that time, and there's
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: been a lot of energy and work on making changes
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: to that model so that we can actually support schools better.
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: But we have to take that feedback seriously, Katie, and
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: any change we make will have an impact across the system,
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: so it has to be done carefully.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: How will you determine a budget if it's not based
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: on attendance?
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: So the budget at the moment, it is a complex model.
• 7:07
  Speaker 3: It's based on attendance and enrollment and a number of
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: other factors. And there will be no perfect model if
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: you like I think you know, whatever model you choose,
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: there will be some that will think that we can
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: do things differently. So I can't tell you at this
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: point in time, Katie. All I know is obviously support
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: the work for us to go away and have a
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: look at whether there is a different way that we
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: should be distributing funds. But obviously I want to make
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: sure that we're not disadvantaging any schools and we're not
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: disadvantaging any locations, and hopefully that this strategy will start
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: to change the way that we work as a system
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: and help address some of those issues along the way.
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: Well, well, we do know as well that there was
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: the Ikach investigation obviously into the Milling Gimbie School. Was
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: that an example of a school having too much autonomy?
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: I think that's a really interesting question as well. Again,
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: the move to global school budgets that that was one
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: of the big benefits that was touted at the time
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: was around greater school autonomy. And I think local decision
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: making and school and community autonomy are absolutely vital. It's
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: also critical in our education system that there is strong
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: accountability and also that we're not overburdening schools with things
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: that the department should be doing, and that they should
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: be absolutely focused on their core job, which is the
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: educating kids. Right. So you know, I think that there's
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: a balance that has to be struck and I think
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: that's always a question for every government's whether or not
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: we've got the balance right. But the autonomy is really important.
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: Local decision making is really important, but so is accountability, yeah,
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: and so is making sure that every single dollar is ending.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: Up where it's supposed to educating kids.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and you know, getting us better outcomes.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: Well, we know that there is also news through today
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: The opposition spokesperson for Education, Joe Hersey, is out in
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: the paper saying that there's uncertainty for end schools as
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: there are reportedly as many as thirty one principles four
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: schools across the Northern Territory needed for the beginning.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Of the school year next year.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: Sixteen jobs for principles are currently being advertised and fifteen
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: are forecast to resign by the end of the year.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: How many principles, as the Education minister, how many principles
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: are you aware of that we're trying to recruit for
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: the start of next year.
• 9:33
  Speaker 3: So I do understand the figures that you've just presented
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: are correct. I think there's about sixteen being advertised at
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: the moment, and there's a further I think it brings
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: it up to about thirty positions across the territory that
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: will be recruited to by the end of the year.
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: I think it's really important to put some context around this.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: This is no different We experience this every year. This
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: isn't an abnormal situation and it doesn't mean that the
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: principals are leaving communities are leaving the Northern Territory. It
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: can be because our principal's retired principle may have been
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: promoted into another position. There will be a whole range
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: of reasons, and the Department's got onto recruitment early to
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: make sure that we are in a strong position in
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty two. And quite frankly, you know, I find
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: it very surprising that the cop have jumped on that.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: You know that they were a government who ripped money
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: out of the system and we actually saw positions lost
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: from schools right across the Northern territory.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Well, and you guys are the government who've put a
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: pay freeze in place for those principles.
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: Has that had an impact here?
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: I have like last year, I certainly haven't had any
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: feedback that that's the case at all. This is a
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: standard process that we go through every year, and because
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: the numbers are not that different from last year at
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: this point in time, I'm not concerned. I think, you know,
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: we've got a lot of principles in Darwin yesterday and
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: today for the Leader's Summit. They're getting ready for twenty
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: twenty two. There's really long term established principles and some
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: amazing new principles coming through and I'm actually really excited
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: about the future of our education system and the passion
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: that they have. So I think next year will be
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: good Minister.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Are there any worries at this point in time some
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: teachers who are maybe from other states and would usually
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: go home over Christmas, that they may not be able
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: to come back, or they may choose not to come
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: back due to that lack of clarity around borders and quarantine.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: We now know, obviously that Queensland is moving towards allowing
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: people to just have a rapid antigen test and quarantine
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: for seventy two hours. That's coming into place in December,
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: but we're still facing two weeks of quarantine hopefully from home.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: Is this going to have an impact?
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: I think it's really good that we've got that roadmap now,
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: and obviously we were one of the first jurisdictions being
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: very clear about that making sure that we're providing certainty
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: to people, particularly as we come into that Christmas period
• 12:08
  Speaker 3: as we did last year. We'll continue to monitor the situation.
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: We have really good uptake by teachers of our travel register,
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: which is voluntary, so that we you know, if there
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: are issues and other jurisdictions we know where we need
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: to might need to support teachers in terms of their
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: return and look you, I will continue to work with
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: the Chief Health officer, as we have done all the
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: way along around any challenges that we come up with
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: along the way. But I think we've got a really
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: clear roadmap. This is you know, people feel really fortunate
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: to have been here, and the collective response to COVID
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: has been so strong, and I think, you know, people
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: are feeling really fortunate to be in.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Look, I think they are as well.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: But I think that we're also facing that bit of
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: a situation right now where with a lot of territory
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: and regularly if your family lives into state where they're
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: wondering whether they are going to be able to go
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: home to see family at Christmas time due to the
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: fact that the other states are going to be opening up,
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: and we at this point, you know, the roadmap is
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: that we may be able to quarantine from home for
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: two weeks. But that's a very different roadmap to what's
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: happening in other locations.
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: It is, but we will continue to make the very
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: best decisions we think we can do and that we
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: need to make within our context, and obviously our context
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: is very different to the context of many other jurisdictions.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: So we will continue to do that and I think
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: largely people have been supportive of that approach and you know,
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: will continue to support teachers. We know it's been tough.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: It's been a really really tough eighteen months for lots
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: of Territorians who you know are wondering about visiting family
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: interstate and we'll just will continue to work through that.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: But you know, this is the roadmap, and this is
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: about providing certain to people about what will be in
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: place in the territory and I totally support that.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: Education Minister Lauren Moss, we are going to have to
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: leave it there. Thank you for your time today
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: Thank you very much for having me