The Hodgman Liberal Government has given a clear commitment to Tasmanians to create a job-ready generation and lead the nation in education.
We came to Government with a new vision for education in Tasmania and by getting the State Budget back on track we have been able to re-invest a record $1.48 billion into education and training in 2016-17.
As we have said, it’s not just about money. It’s about how you spend that money and making last change – such as our policy to extend schools to years 11-12 which Labor has now foolishly committed to rolling back.
We have targeted our spending and efforts into evidence-based policies which will enable more Tasmanians to stay at school for longer and achieve more while they are there.
The evidence is now clear: a 57 per cent increase in enrolments in the first 12 schools to extend from 2014 while secondary college numbers have remained stable.
We have also seen excellent increases in our apparent retention rate which has reached a new high of 73.8 per cent.
Evidence is crucial and to assist in further positive discussions and decisions today we are releasing a new range of school attainment and direct continuation data through the office of Tasmanian Assessment Standards and Certification (TASC) that will be available online after 2pm today.
This data includes student attainment in Year 12 by school and, in a separate report, the numbers of students who were in Year 10 and went on to complete a Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE), achieve Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) two years later.
This data is particularly important because it demonstrates the movement of students between years 10 to years 12 regardless of whether they change schools, or even shift from the government system to the non-government system.
For some high schools, this figure is lower than 20 per cent which demonstrates the legacy of Labor, a system that failed Tasmania for 16 years – the same system to which Labor wants to return.
I applaud those communities who have already extended their schools or are preparing to extend their schools next year.
Unlike Labor, these communities are embracing change for the better and they share the Hodgman Liberal Government’s vision to lift education attainment and give every young Tasmanian the best opportunity for a bright future.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Education and Training