The Hodgman Liberal Government's long term Plan is that Tasmania leads the nation in education.
We owe this to our children, now and in the future.
To achieve our long term Plan, we need to improve student outcomes by changing the way Tasmanians think about education, re-thinking how much we value it and considering the implications this has for our education system.
Soon after being elected last year, the Vice-Chancellor Peter Rathjen and I spoke about how the Government and the University of Tasmania could work together to change education in this state. We shared common goals.
The Hodgman Liberal Government has already taken important steps to change the education outcomes of Tasmanian children.
Our policy to extend high schools to years 11 and 12 is already being rolled out with six Tasmanian high schools extending this year. We have also provided additional support for literacy and numeracy and we are undertaking a full review of the Education Act.
Today's announcement of a formal partnership between the University and the Tasmanian Government is the important piece of the education puzzle which until now has been missing.
The Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment will be resourced to consider the causes, implications and solutions for the challenges we face in education.
It will investigate the best ways to keep children in school longer, methods to improve the way children learn and teachers are trained, reasons for the existing impediments to education aspiration and attainment, and offer rigorous, evidence based advice which can inform public policy.
The centre will be established through a combination of University and Tasmanian Government resources and major philanthropic donations.
It will be led by an Endowed Chair, the first Endowed Chair in perpetuity in the University's 125 year history. It will be established through a combination of University and Tasmanian Government resources and major philanthropic donations.
The Centre will have three areas of activity:
Named in honour of the late Tasmanian Governor Peter Underwood, this institution will fast become a centre of excellence.
On behalf of the Hodgman Liberal Government I want to thank Mrs Frances Underwood and her family in helping us achieve this milestone today.
The Centre for Educational Attainment will be a lasting and prestigious tribute to the late Governor.