 |
Media Release
$3.6 MILLION DOLLAR BOOST FOR TEACHER TRAINING IN INDIGENOUS EDUCATION
7 April 2005 MIN 1080/05
An innovative $3.61 million Australian Government project will help train more than 14,000 teachers and school leaders and assist them in developing new skills for working with Indigenous students.
The What Works project I launched at Bourke High School, in New South Wales today, is a practical, professional development resource. Teachers and principals can participate in workshops and support activities, and work actively with parents and their local communities.
Participating schools, with intensive support from the project team, will develop local responses to improve overall educational outcomes for Indigenous students. Experiences and results will be shared via the What Works website.
Whatever we achieve in education, we cannot as a nation consider ourselves to have been successful while Indigenous education outcomes lag behind the rest of the population. The Australian Government is committed to closing the educational divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in Australia.
What Works is part of the Government’s $2.1 billion Indigenous education package which provides targeted supplementary assistance for Indigenous students. The funding represents an increase of $381 million, or 22.3% over the previous four year period.
Today’s announcement brings to $6.2 million the total amount of Australian Government funding for the What Works project, which will provide professional development training for teachers in all States and Territories.
What Works is available online at: http://www.whatworks.edu.au/
Media Contacts:
Dr Nelson’s Office: Yaron Finkelstein 0414 927 663
Dept of Education, Science & Training: Tony Mithen 02 6240 7174
|
