Tasmania Opposition Leader Will Hodgman

Tasmania Shadow Minister for Education Michael Ferguson

Year 7-12 High Schools within a Decade

Victor P Taffa

Under a Hodgman Liberal Government, Tasmanian High Schools will go up to year 12 within a decade of being elected to office.

It’s a damning fact that Tasmania continues to have the lowest retention rates in Australia.

Only 47 % of Tasmanians have a post year 10 qualification yet 86 % of jobs require this level of educational attainment.

Worse still, the latest ABS statistics show that only 51 % of Tasmanians are considered to be functionally literate.

Of Tasmanian students who were in year 10 in 2008, only 51 % went on to complete year 11 and 12 studies.

It is telling that Tasmania is the only state in Australia that maintains a system where secondary education finishes at year 10, and that we also have the lowest retention rates in the nation.

The Liberal education policy for year 7-12 High Schools will address our retention black-hole and will build a job ready generation.

Such a substantial but necessary reform won’t take place overnight, and after a decade of Labor experiments it is essential that we get it right, at a sensible pace, and take the community with us.

We are committed to consulting widely with all those who share our passion for education, and will make changes only after a clear implementation plan has been developed. This stands in stark contrast with the ego-driven approach taken by this government.

We will start by expanding the offering of vocational, year 11 and year 12 subjects in Rural and Regional High Schools. As part of this process we will explore how best to utilise technology such as the NBN, so geography is no longer a disadvantage.

We will then move to gradually expand secondary education to year 12 in major population centres.

The first stages of this long-term visionary policy will be funded from our new $60 Million School Retention and Education Renewal Fund.

Under our visionary plan, city-based colleges could be retained as places of year 11-12 and adult skills and academic training, depending on the needs of local communities.

We will not close or sell existing colleges.

TAS Shadow Minister for Education Michael Ferguson