Media Release
AN ADDITIONAL $1.3 MILLION TO EXPAND
'BOYS EDUCATION LIGHTHOUSE SCHOOLS’
(under embargo until 10:00AM AEST 10 June)
10 June, 2004 MIN730/04
In response to the overwhelming need and interest in the important area of boys’ education, an additional thirteen schools will now receive funding of up to $100,000 each, under the Howard Government’s Boys’ Education Lighthouse Schools (BELS) initiative.
This is the second stage of the BELS initiative. Australian Government grants to schools now total about $5.1 million, bringing total funding for the boys’ education package by the Howard Government to around $8 million.
These thirteen schools announced today are in addition to the announcement last month of 38 schools to act as “lighthouses” in their communities. The total number of participating schools is now 51. Overall, with lighthouse and partner schools considered together, about 340 schools will be directly involved in BELS.
The Lighthouse Schools will champion effective approaches in addressing the educational needs of boys. This will involve working closely with other schools and delivering professional learning activities for teachers.
I announced the BELS package last year in response to growing concern that boys are significantly underperforming in key educational areas, especially literacy.
It is imperative that nothing is done which undermines the important and necessary progress which has been made in the last twenty years in the education of girls. However, the evidence is overwhelming that boys are falling behind in our education system.
It is unacceptable that 14 year old boys are doing worse in literacy tests than they were 25 years ago.
In Year 5, 89.6% of females achieved the literacy benchmark compared with 85.2% of males. They are also represented two to one in the lowest 25% of educational outcomes. In 2002 the Year 12 school retention rate was 81% for females and 70% for males.
Males made up 43.6% of the 614, 076 domestic students in Higher Education in 2001 compared with 46% in 1991.
The new Lighthouse Schools include innovative projects such as, Inverell High School’s Men at Work initiative in New South Wales, which focuses on providing boys with positive male role models from within and beyond the school community.
The Christian Brothers College in Adelaide will work with four other schools to develop innovative strategies to improve boys’ academic motivation.
In addition to the Boys’ Education Lighthouse Schools, a range of initiatives to support male teachers and improve boys’ education are being developed. These include a mentoring project for male teacher education students and teachers and a review of the Gender Equity Framework for schools to be conducted in cooperation with State and Territory education jurisdictions.
It is important that both boys and girls – particularly in primary schools – are given greater opportunities to be taught by teachers of both genders. However, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) findings show that the proportion of full-time male school teachers fell from 25.8% to 20.9% in primary schools and from 49.4% to 44.7% in secondary schools during the period 1992 to 2003.
The Howard Government is also determined to create additional opportunities for educational authorities to attract more male teachers – particularly in primary schools - and recently introduced legislation into the Parliament to amend the Sex Discrimination Act.
This small amendment will enable the Australian Government to proceed with plans to offer 500 scholarships worth $2000 each to attract more men into primary teaching.
I call on Mark Latham to reconsider his opposition to this important initiative and pass the legislation in the Senate.
The Howard Government has an ongoing commitment to ensuring that all boys and girls receive meaningful, engaging educational experiences and reach their full potential.
The 13 new Lighthouse Schools and the 38 lighthouse schools announced in April follow.
Media Contacts:
Dr Nelson’s Office: Ross Hampton 0419 484 095
Dept of Education, Science & Training: Laila Lacis 0412 040 034
Additional Lighthouse Schools
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Christian Brothers College
NEW SOUTH WALES
Albury High School
Eden Marine High School
Inverell High School
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Margaret River Senior High School
QUEENSLAND
Bribie Island State School
Sunshine Beach State High School
VICTORIA
Daylesford Secondary College
Mackellar Primary School
St Leonard's College
TASMANIA
New Town High School
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Palmerston High School
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Stromlo High School
Lighthouse Schools Announced in April 2004
VICTORIA
Bayswater Primary School
Brighton Grammar School
Chaffey Secondary College
Flora Hill Secondary College
Hampton Primary School
Kew Primary School
Pakenham Consolidated School
St Joseph’s College
NEW SOUTH WALES
Airds High School
Balgowlah Heights Public School
Collector Public School
Kingscliff Public School
Lismore Public School
Macleay Vocational College
Oak Flats High School
Quakers Hill Public School
St Andrew’s College
St Joseph’s Primary School
West Wallsend High School
QUEENSLAND
Blackheath and Thornburgh College
Dimbulah State School
Mirani State High School
Thornlands State School
Urangan State High School
Walkervale State School and Kepnock State High School
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Melville Senior High School
Merredin Senior High School
Moerlina School
Tom Price Senior High
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Mount Barker High School
Salisbury High School
St Augustine’s Parish School
Open Access College R-10 Distance (national focus)
Youth Education Centre (national focus)
TASMANIA
Claremont College
St Thomas More’s School
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Kormilda College
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Palmerston District Primary School
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