Opinion - Coalition's Plan For Education - 21 May

When it comes to measuring the success or failure of a government program, it is important to look at what was promised and what was delivered.

In 2007 Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard promised to build a Trades Training Centre in all 2,650 high schools in Australia.

Three years into a ten-year program and they have managed to build only 12 centres nationwide.

And rather than one centre for every high school, schools must now time-share the facility between as many as ten other schools.

In 2007 Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard promised a laptop computer for every student in years 9-12. Three years into a four year program and they have delivered a quarter of the computers functioning on desks in schools, at double the original cost of the program.

Both on what was promised and what has been delivered, these two programs have not lived up to expectations. The Coalition can do it better.

Our plan is simple: We want to give public schools the same independence currently enjoyed by the non-government sector, empowering school principals and school councils to make the decisions currently being made by state governments.

We think a school community is best placed to decide what infrastructure it needs, whether it is computers, sporting equipment or a new building. We support choice and community action.

When Labor came to government they cancelled the very popular Howard Government Investing in Our Schools program, which allowed schools to decide what they needed to enhance student learning.

That included computers, and the program delivered many to schools over the years, but it also could include a refurbishment, new play equipment, or even a new building.

Schools decided what they wanted and managed the project themselves.

Our policies in the lead-up to the election will be focused on giving the power back to schools to decide what is needed, not the overly prescriptive approach taken by Labor.

For example, Labor handed the funding for their teacher quality programs over to the same state government bureaucracies who are responsible for the school hall debacle.

Our approach would be to support schools directly. We would rather a principal and school council have the ability to reward a teacher at a school for excellent performance, recognising that excellence and inspiring colleagues to similarly improve.

This would result in a whole-of-school improvement.

Over the next few months expect to see a scare campaign from the Minister for Education Julia Gillard about cuts to programs, but ask yourself this: Has the program delivered as promised?

On trades training Centres, on computers in schools, on childcare centres, on the school hall program, there has been failure, waste and mismanagement unprecedented in the history of this country.

The Coalition isn't trying to dazzle with a rhetoric revolution, but by letting schools manage themselves, the impact will be extraordinary when it comes to improving education for students.