LOCAL MEMBER TO PRESENT AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE MEDAL
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP said today that schools in his electorate will be worse off with Labor’s decision to scrap the successful Investing in Our Schools Programme.
“Labor would abolish the $1.2 billion programme to pay for its election promises to put computers and trades centres in secondary schools,” Mr Ruddock said.
“In the Berowra electorate approximately $4,455.190 million had been provided to 114 school projects under the former Howard government for local schools to fix projects it decided were a priority.
“Up to $150,000 funding had been available to each school to fix everything from rundown toilets and classrooms to funding upgrades of playgrounds and IT equipment.
“School communities in the electorate of Berowra have relied on this funding to make up for state government shortfalls.”
Primary schools in my electorate would seriously miss out completely because Labor’s funding for planned computers and trade centres would only be directed at students in years 9-12.
“Not once did the Hon Kevin Rudd MP give any indication to local parents that his ‘education revolution’ would mean guillotining Investing in Our Schools funding – in fact he said the opposite,” Mr Ruddock said.
“Labor obviously has no idea just how important this programme is for school communities, parents and teachers. The new Federal Minister for Education must outline how schools’ infrastructure will be funded from now on and what new funding will be provided to primary schools in my electorate.”