The education crisis in NSW under the Berejiklian Government deepens with the revelation that the number of demountable classrooms in public schools has risen.
Across NSW the amount of demountable classrooms impacting valuable playground space has risen to 4,665 - according to figures obtained by the NSW Opposition under Freedom of Information laws – a third of which have been in place for a decade or longer.
January 2017 figures reveal that in Maitland there are 62 demountable classrooms clogging up precious playground space.
Rutherford Public School had the greatest number of demountables impacting green space with 13 and on recent discussions with the P&C I was advised that this number has increased to 15.
The top five Maitland schools with the highest number of demountable classrooms on site are:
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Rutherford Public School - 13
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Ashtonfield Public School - 11
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Bolwarra Public School - 10
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Maitland Grossmann High School - 10
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Gillieston Heights Public School - 5
Under the Liberal Government, usage of what were designed to be temporary structures in our school yards has actually gone up.
NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley says a Labor Government led by him in 2019 is committed to immediately auditing Government-owned unused or under-used land to identify potential sites for schools and school expansions.
Quotes Attributable to NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley
“Our message to Ms Berejiklian is clear – get the kids out of the demountables, and give them a clear shot at a decent education and a better life.
“The whole Liberal philosophy is to ignore education and pay lip service to it – they just don’t get it. They see education costs as a liability, and not an investment in an asset - the next generation of Australians.”
Quotes Attributable to Member for Maitland, Jenny Aitchison MP
“It’s staggering that students in the Maitland electorate are sitting in over 62 demountables.
“Demountables are meant to be a temporary solution for growing communities but what we see here is a reliance on making cheap and ineffective demountables a permanent structure within schools.”
