BY MELANIE SJOBERG
SYDNEY — NSW Premier Bob Carr's Labor government calls its plan to cut 1000 jobs in the Department of Education and Training (DET) "lifelong and learning". However, public education needs more, not less, jobs. Students need teachers with more time to attend to their learning, not more administrative duties.
The government is lying when it says this is a restructure to get rid of fat-cat bureaucrats. It plans to increase the number of the most senior positions in the DET from 16 to 26 — a 62% increase in fat-cat bureaucrats!
Furthermore, the Carr government has announced fee rises for TAFE students, up to $1000 a year. The government plans to remove fee exemptions from so-called middle class courses, such as for voluntary tutors to help illiterate adults learn to read and write.
Public Service Association (PSA) and Teachers Federation officials have agreed to unite to fight the job losses, and to propose that their members employed by DET work to rule. This is an excellent start.
In early July, administrative and support staff at the Illawarra TAFE Institute decided to enrol second semester TAFE students without collecting fees. TAFE teachers voted to support the ban by holding student enrolment forms, and not passing them back to students to take to cashiers.
Union activists who support education are seeing the need for a strong campaign of grass roots solidarity to stop these cuts. The Progressive PSA, a rank-and-file group in the PSA, is circulating the following statement. If you would like to endorse it, write to PPSA, PO Box 202 Broadway NSW 2007 or email <psaprogressive@yahoo.co.uk>.
"We oppose the NSW government's attacks on the quality of education in public schools, TAFE and adult community education. We are committed to building a united campaign of the unions and groups to which we belong — Teachers Federation, Public Service Association of New South Wales, parents and citizens associations, Adult and Community educators, students and community groups — to defend education and to campaign to stop:
- 1000 job cuts in NSW Department of Education and Training.
- Loss of education consultants and support for teachers in schools and TAFE.
- Abolition of TAFE as a separate entity.
- Abolition of Adult and Community Education as a directorate.
- Increase in TAFE student fees and removal of fee exemptions.
- Planned corporatisation and possible privatisation of corporate services in education.
We will campaign together to stop all these measures by the NSW government, and we will work for our organisations' leaders and members to remain committed to winning on all of them, and not to be divided by the government making limited concessions."
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, July 30, 2003.
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