Question:
Australia must go forward with educational reforms. More daytime and night time classes for adults in schools must be introduced to give adults a 2nd and more chances to further their employment and career prospects. And adult classes in both day and night might prove to be very useful for unemployed people on welfare to further their employment prospects, to make best use of their capabilities and to improve their chances of gaining employment.
TAFE should be part of the Learn for Welfare scheme. That's is if the school in the area cannot provide night classes or adult classes. It doesn't matter if the school is primary or secondary, it must offer a educational service to people of all ages to give them education to further their employement chances.
The choice must be either education, going to TAFE, university or employment, and nothing else. Aged people will be exempt and in some cases people with disability pension will also be exempt, but people with parent allowances, dole, ASTIC payments and some able bodied people on disability pension will be offered the Learn for Welfare option that makes them attend adult classes at school or the existing option of Work for Welfare or risk losing the benefit.
What's your opinions???
Answer:
I more favout the concept of a higher utilisation of educational resources. Operate the educational facilities from say 8am to 10pm with the various child schools being from 8am to 5 pm with stagered starts (based on age) and rostered use of the facilities; followed by adult learning classes from 5pm to 10pm with some adult classes being offered during the day as well.
The same classroom that can be used to teach primary students can also be used to teach similar subjects to secondary students and adult students. This would mean less money spent on class infrastructure and equipment with more money available for more teachers and higher teacher wages. It would also enable a more flexible arrangement in the employment of teachers.
A premises near where I live has a primary school and a secondary school situated side-by-side they both have a variety of resources to enable them to teach certain subjects to various classes (the computer classrooms are an obvious example) these are sufficient to cover each schools peak usage needs, but spend about 30% of the time empty. They both have large recreactional facilities attached which are utilised at a peak time for lunch (same at both) and are virtually empty for 90% of the time.
If these schools were combined and the meal times and special classroom times were rostered they would need only half the land and 2/3rds of the special classrooms. Thus a much lower expenditure on infrastructure needs and maintenance, making large sums available for other materials and teachers. That is more knowledge for your $.
