The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the federal and Northern Territory governments’ commitment to investing $1 billion into the Territory’s public education system by 2029 and has called for all NT schools to be fully funded in the next round of bilateral agreements.
National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins said the “Australian and Northern Territory governments agreement will bring much needed resourcing to public school communities in the NT, which are some of the most disadvantaged and remote in Australia”.
“Currently ,Catholic schools receive almost 5 per cent less of what they should receive from the Northern Territory Government and we would expect a commitment to fully fund Catholic school communities in the next round of agreements.”
On average, Catholic school parents take on more than 26 per cent of the annual cost of their child’s education and almost 90 per cent of the funding required to support school buildings and capital works, with state and federal governments contributing 11 per cent in total to capital projects.
Catholic Education Northern Territory director Paul Greaves said Catholic school communities were doing it tough with many families facing cost of living pressures.
“As a small system of schools in some of the remotest and most disadvantaged areas in Australia, full government funding – both territory and federal – is critical to enable equitable provision of educational opportunities for students,” Mr Greaves said.
“In our remote and very remote schools, particularly serving First Nations communities, school fees are not charged and other NT Catholic schools are providing significant fee relief for families facing financial hardship.
“Full and fair funding for all NT students in both public and non-government schools must be a priority for the Northern Territory Government.”
FULL STORY
Catholic education welcomes all schools in the NT reaching full and fair funding (NCEC)
