The Liberal Government is laying the foundations to create a job-ready generation.
We are delivering on our commitment to extend high schools to Year 12 to improve retention and we have employed 25 specialist literacy and numeracy teachers, as promised, to give extra help to those students who need it most.
Our first Budget includes a record $1.4 billion investment in education in this year alone and $5.8 billion over the forward estimates.
Today, the Liberal Government is announcing a review of the Education Act to ensure the legal framework that governs our schools is helping to lift the State's education outcomes.
This will include a serious look at the compulsory starting and leaving school ages.
Currently, Tasmania has the oldest starting age in the country and this means our students are able to legally leave school in an earlier grade than other states.
Children do not begin compulsory schooling in Tasmania till the year after they turn five, which means many will turn 17, the minimum age that they can leave, early in Year 11.
The review will consider lowering the school starting age to four years and six months to align with other states, and extending the school leaving age to 18.
We are advised this could result in 2000 more young Tasmanians finishing Year 12 or equivalent each year.
The Liberal Government is determined to see more young Tasmanians completing Year 12 because we know that doing so enhances their employment prospects.
That's why we are extending high schools to Year 12, and it's why we are now reviewing the Education Act, which is more than 20 years old, to provide the best possible outcomes for all Tasmanian students.
The review will also look at how we can improve student attendance, and particularly how non-attendance should be addressed.
We need to be sure that children are participating regularly in education and that parents are clear about their legal obligations around their child's attendance and engagement in compulsory education.
Managing student behaviour and building respectful school communities are among other important issues to be considered in the review.
The challenge in any reform is to find the right balance between supporting students with behavioural issues to remain engaged with their education and learning, and at the same time ensuring the safety of all other students and staff.
The Liberal Government has, at its heart, a commitment to raising educational standards because we believe that if we can lift education, we can lift Tasmania.
To help us achieve this, we need a legislative framework that is contemporary and cohesive, and provides Tasmania with the best framework for a strong education system, now and into the future.
Submissions to the review will close on December 31, and the discussion paper, summarising key themes, is available at www.education.tas.gov.au
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