Education alternative for the people

Solemn pledges to do more for health and education are the 
major party's stock in trade. However, as the decades slip by and 
in spite of all the "new" programs and funding formulae, the 
quality of these basic community services continues to 
deteriorate.

Public services built up over generations in the area of health 
and education have suffered terribly under the destructive 
influence of the privatising, "user-pays" policies of the various 
neo-liberal governments at state and federal level.

The forthcoming Federal Elections present us with an occasion to 
consider the current situation, what "fixes" the major parties 
are proposing and setting out a realistic people's alternative 
for comparison. In coming weeks, The Guardian will be 
analysing the offerings from the major parties as part of its 
election coverage. In this series of articles, we will be setting 
out the broad policy direction the CPA is advocating in the most 
important areas.

The guiding principle and aim of the Communist Party's education 
policy is the provision of free, universal and secular public 
education. The CPA supports the concept of lifelong learning and 
not only for the purposes of training for employment. Education, 
whether it is for work-related purposes or for leisure, has a 
positive social value in itself through the fuller development of 
the individual.

The principles of multi-culturalism must be defended in education 
and the atmosphere of division and racism fostered by current 
policies overturned. Greater emphasis must be placed on improving 
the educational opportunities of Indigenous Australians. 

The public education system must be strengthened and State aid to 
non-government schools phased out if we are to produce a highly 
literate and cultured society.

The Commonwealth now gives around 70 per cent of its funds to 
private schools and only 30 per cent to public schools. Even when 
state government funding is added, the fact remains that only 60 
per cent of total funding goes to the public schools that educate 
70 per cent of the country's children.

In recent years, the big winners in the provision of Federal 
funding have been elite "Category 1-3" private schools like 
Trinity Grammar, the King's school, Geelong Grammar and St 
Peter's Collegiate. The CPA calls for an immediate end to all 
government funding to Category 1-3 schools.

The Howard Government's funding policies have also encouraged the 
growth of fundamentalist religious schools. The CPA believes that 
all children should be able to study the full secular curriculum. 
It would bring all schools under equal employment and anti-
discrimination legislation.

Public money should be used to improve resources, increase 
teacher numbers, ensure adequate salary increases, and ending 
contract employment and the exploitation of casuals.

The CPA supports TAFE as a fully funded public system

Today, while many eager and capable applicants are being turned 
away from our universities, greater numbers of full fee paying 
places are being made available for the sons and daughters of the 
wealthy. Some of these students are paying upfront fees totaling 
over $100,00 for their courses.

Less well-off students are saddled with debt as a result of their 
studies. Taken together, those receiving assistance under the 
Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) already owe the 
Commonwealth over $9 billion. Most students will have a debt of 
at least $20,000 on graduation. 

The CPA would abolish all fees including the Higher Education 
Contribution Scheme (HECS). The Party also calls for the 
restoration of funding to universities to a level that allows for 
suitable student-teacher ratios and does away with the need for 
private sponsorship. 

And where will the money come from for such far-reaching reforms? 
The Vinson Inquiry, funded by the NSW Teachers' Federation a 
couple of years ago found that, compared to other OECD countries, 
Australia is ranked 22nd out of 29 countries when it comes to 
public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP. At the 
same time, the Federal Government is committed to huge spending 
on the military and handouts to private corporations.

Putting an end to war-mongering and corporate welfare would more 
than compensate for the increased spending required urgently in 
the field of education and elsewhere. Finally, getting 
corporations and wealthy individuals to pay their share of tax 
would provide another massive pool of funds.