Today the Department of Education will commence a consultation process across the state, inviting feedback from the Tasmanian community and families about government school intake areas.
To be very clear, under a Liberal Government parents will always be able to apply to their school of choice, outside their intake area, if capacity allows.
The review will not change the way schools enrol students who live outside their intake area and will not affect students who are already enrolled in a school before 2021 or which high school students are entitled to attend.
Because of the former Labor-Green Government’s attack on public education, and their attempt to close schools - school intake areas have, in the past, caused great concern to many communities.
While the review will likely result in small changes to some intake areas, I want to assure Tasmanians, that unlike Labor and the Greens, this process is not an assessment of school viability and we have no agenda to close schools down.
The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to ensuring our children get the best possible education.
That is why we’ve employed 142 additional teachers and have committed to employing 358 more staff in our public system, including 250 extra teaching staff.
We have also introduced a new Education Act, which sets out the framework for our education system.
As part of the Act, the school intake area maps must be published by the Secretary of the Department of Education every five years – this ensures every child can enjoy quality teaching and learning programs close to home.
I encourage families to engage in the consultation process and have their say.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Education and Training