The article “Funds dwindle for work on public
schools” addresses the fact that the state government’s budget for school
infrastructure is lower than it was a decade ago, despite increased enrollment
in many government schools. Since the
change in government in 2011, New South Wales state government funding for
school capital works has decreased significantly over the past decade, though
it is slightly higher this year than it was last year. This year’s budget for school capital works
includes funding for five new schools and addresses the over enrollment of
schools in Sydney’s north shore. The
budget that has been allocated, however, is not great enough to meet the needs
of schools across the state. Factors
including increased enrollment, aging school infrastructure, and changing
technology requires greater funding than what has been allocated. The New South Wales government State
Infrastructure Strategy accounts for a tremendous increase over the next decade
in the state’s public school population, which would require even greater
funding. Though state contributions for
capital works in schools for the next financial year is said to be higher, and
presumably will remain higher as the public school population increases over
the next decade, it is still not sufficient.
In my opinion, the fact that public school funding
has been cut is ridiculous. Education is
one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, investments that can be made
throughout a person’s lifetime. The
children of today are the future of tomorrow.
Not only is this an issue in New South Wales, but in cities, states, and
countries around the world. Not
providing today’s children with a proper education is synonymous with setting
society up for failure in the future.
Enrollment in public schools is increasing, and it is the right of every
child to receive complete education. The
current budget, and in turn, available resources, are not adequate to do so. Without proper funding, not only will
schools’ infrastructure age, but parents will send their children to private
schools rather than public schools, reducing multiculturalism in all
schools. Public schools serve as
excellent micropublics, places where students have everyday social contact with
different cultures. With this, students
are able to see themselves as individuals, as well as part of a group in which
there are many different backgrounds. “Public
schools are traditionally defined only by their geographical location, and
required to admit any student residing within their enrollment zones. This makes them a rough microcosm for their
larger community, a feature that has been lauded as providing an ideal setting
for young people to engage across social and cultural boundaries, including
those of income, ethnicity and religion” (Ho 2011). With funds dwindling for work on public
schools, however, students with the means to attend private school will do so,
weakening public schools as micropublics and causing them to become less
multicultural. The students left in the
public schools will be “the ‘residual’ student body – students from poor
backgrounds, sometimes coinciding with disadvantaged migrant backgrounds” (Ho
2011). And with a lowered enrollment in public schools, funds will be cut
further and we will be back to where we started with not all of today’s children
receiving a proper education.
References
Ho, C. (2011). Respecting the
presence of others: School micropublics and
everyday multiculturalism. Journal of
Intercultural Studies, 32(6), 603-619.
McNeilage, A. (2013, June 24). Funds dwindle for work on public schools. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/funds-dwindle-for-work-on-public-schools-20130623-2oqgb.html
Minikel-Lacocque, J. (2013).
Racism, college and the power of words: Racial
microaggressions reconsidered. American
Educational Research Journal,
50, 432. DOI: 10.3102/0002831212468048
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