Catholic Education Northern Territory will close the boarding facility at St John’s Catholic College in Darwin at the end of this year.
The decision follows the Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci’s endorsement of a recommendation made by the Council of Catholic Education, Northern Territory.
The difficult decision comes after years of careful consideration and consultation, including an extensive review into the improvement of educational outcomes and financial sustainability of the Catholic Education system in the Territory.
St John’s Catholic College will remain fully operational as a day school and will continue to be an important part of the provision of Catholic education in the Northern Territory. There are no anticipated changes or impacts to day students.
The St John’s boarding facility has operated at a significant financial loss for more than 20 years.
Bishop Gauci said the strain of the boarding facility’s ongoing operating deficit, the need for significant infrastructure upgrades and declining boarding enrolments mean it is no longer financially viable without compromising the broader mission of Catholic education in the Northern Territory.
“It deeply saddens me that today we announce the closure of the boarding facility at St John’s Catholic College,” Bishop Gauci said.
“The college has been a pillar of education in the Northern Territory for remote and regional Aboriginal Territorians for more than 60 years and this decision is not one we have taken lightly. However, there is no feasible way to continue operating the boarding facility.
“The Catholic Church is now focused on supporting ongoing spiritual and educational enrichment for our Aboriginal sisters and brothers throughout this transition.”
Catholic Education Northern Territory, the school and the Darwin Diocese are supporting boarding students, their families and boarding facility staff to develop individual transition plans and identify suitable alternative options.
Many of the boarding students are based on the Tiwi Islands. Bishop Gauci and Principal Cameron Hughes travelled last week to speak face to face with as many of these families as possible before students return to school next week.
FULL STORY
Closure of boarding facility at St John’s Catholic College in Darwin (Catholic Education NT)
