1. Introduction: 'Resourcing the Right to Education'
The Convention on the Rights of the Child ratified by Australia in 1990 sets out the right of the child to education. It defines the child as any person under the age if 18 years. Article 28.1 requires Australia and other member countries to
- Make primary education compulsory and available and free to all;
- Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child, and take appropriate measures such as the introduction of free education and offering financial assistance in case of need;
In order to deliver these educational rights to children, appropriate resources are required in rural and remote Australia. Children in isolated parts of Australia do not have access to the same educational resources afforded to their metropolitan counterparts. In some isolated communities parents are schooling their children at home during their primary years and then relocating them to a larger community for their secondary education. Some small communities do not have schools and children must travel long distances if they are to receive school education. Those children who do not have the resources to travel have no access to school education.
The provision of education to all Australian children is an important challenge for education departments. It raises questions of educational equity and access, both fundamental rights for children. Yet providing education is only part of the challenge. Education must be more than available; it must be appropriate and accessible. This becomes a quality issue.
By article 29.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
States parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:
(a) The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential [among other things]
While rural and remote children may not have the same educational resources as children in metropolitan areas, they too are entitled to develop their mental, physical and social capacities so that they may participate fully in Australian society. Ensuring these rights means providing appropriate resources in all States and Territories.
Staffing difficulties
Across all States and the Northern Territory one consistent theme has emerged during the inquiry, namely, that rural and remote schools are difficult to staff. Isolation, living costs and the lack of resources are disincentives to teacher recruitment in rural and remote schools (Billiluna school meeting, WA, 14 May 1999). The quality of the staffing arrangements has a direct impact on the nature and the quality of the education. Where teaching staff experience disadvantages such as a lack of adequate housing, lack of access to medical services and lack of access to professional support and development, there will be a corresponding impact on the provision and the delivery of education to Australian children.
The frequently cited difficulties for educationalists in remote Australia relate to the difficulty in accessing resources readily available in metropolitan areas. Some of these resources include access to fresh food, reliable power, reliable technology and medical services (Billiluna school meeting, WA, 14 May 1999). In addition, the high cost of living is a disincentive for teaching staff to take positions in rural and remote Australia. The cost of food and petrol, the need to pay for the freight of many items and the cost of travel mean that an additional financial burden is carried by teaching staff in more isolated communities (Weipa community meeting, Qld, 8 July 1999).
There are several disincentives for teaching in the country. Limited opportunities to return to the city, limited opportunities to participate in cutting edge curriculum developments that might enhance promotion chances, limited or poor professional and personal development opportunities, financial costs such as telephone, power and daily living, higher rates of inexperienced teachers, higher rates of incompetent managers (Submission 23, Open Access College SA).
These difficulties have a bearing on both the recruitment and the retention of appropriate educationalists. Some schools in rural and remote Australia have vacant staff positions for extended periods of time (Isolated Children's Parents' Association WA, Perth public hearing, 21 May 1999). Other schools make do by stretching existing staff across a range of disciplines, regardless of whether they have appropriate training, experience or qualifications (Nhulunbuy community meeting, NT, 12 May 1999). While this demonstrates the real commitment and the flexibility of teaching personnel, it compromises educational quality and stresses an already stretched staff and educational system.
Rural and remote schools have a higher staff turnover rate than metropolitan schools (Tomlinson 1994). Staff retention rates can be an important determinant of the quality of the education being delivered to rural and remote children. Where there is a constant turnover of staff there can be no continuity of curriculum or teaching methodology. In one primary school in north-west NSW there was an entire turnover of the 29 teaching staff in one year (Moree community meeting, NSW, 9 September 1999). This has a huge impact on educational quality and continuity. Yet given some of the difficulties faced by staff in rural and remote locations, it is unlikely that many will stay beyond a minimum period.
Facilities are lacking in many country areas. Access to medical facilities can be very limited. My last country appointment was 110km from a hospital and a doctor, and it took me 3.5 hours before I received medical attention for an eye injury. My next appointment has a hospital and a doctor flies in once a week. As I have a young family it is a concern. Both towns have fresh vegetables delivered once a week. Milk and bread arrive frozen. The papers arrive the next day. Shopping facilities are very limited and usually are a monopoly, and entertainment and sporting facilities are very basic. Sporting events involve extensive travel to neighbouring towns for competition. What can you offer me to make me want to stay longer? (cited in Tomlinson 1994, page 59).
Gaps in staffing
Many rural and remote schools are in need of English as a Second Language (ESL) staff, maths and science teachers and Information Technology (IT) staff. English as a Second Language (ESL) qualifications are in high demand in schools with large Aboriginal populations. Unless these teaching staff are offered incentives to take rural and remote positions, they will remain in high demand. Currently, there are a number of schools in the Northern Territory where there are no qualified ESL teachers, yet they are teaching children for whom English is not the first language (Robert Laird, Australian Education Union (NT), Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999). Some rural and remote schools have difficulty attracting maths, science and IT teachers. Since these positions are in demand in metropolitan schools they can remain unfilled in non-metropolitan schools.
Allowances and incentives
Incentives and subsidies can offset some of the disadvantages experienced by teaching staff in rural and remote locations.
Education providers have gone some way in their acknowledgment of the particular needs and costs of rural and remote school teachers. All States and Territories provide varying degrees of teacher allowances, incentives and career enhancement pathways, though there is currently no consistency across Australia in these provisions. Rural and remote teaching staff suggest that the existing strategies only partially mitigate the conditions under which they operate (Weipa community meeting, Qld, 8 July 1999).Last updated 2 December 2001.
