Public schools in the Northern Territory, South Australia and the ACT will receive a combined $27.5m additional funding under the Federal Government’s Schools Upgrade Fund for new equipment and facilities.
NT Education Minister, Mark Monaghan said this week's announcement by the Federal Government builds on the strong partnership between the Australian and Territory Government who together fully funded Territory schools through a landmark agreement.
“Every child, no matter where they live, deserves a quality education with quality resources so they can succeed in life – whatever that success looks like for each child.”
South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer welcomed the announcement in a statement on Tuesday.
“Upgrading sporting facilities and new playground equipment are incredibly important, not just for schools but for the wider community, and these are all very worthy projects in schools that need them the most,” Boyer said.
“The average age of school buildings in SA is 44 years, and even older in regional schools. Regional schools in particular are in great need, and we look forward to further federal investment into facilities in the future.”
For the ACT’s schools, the latest round of the Federal Government’s Schools Upgrade Fund will deliver around $2.5m in vital infrastructure projects for ACT public schools.
Seven public schools across the Territory will each benefit from funding of at least $250,000 to build or upgrade infrastructure, with the successful projects including installing new playground equipment and upgrading sporting facilities.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said the new school infrastructure upgrades are “another great example of the ACT and Commonwealth Government working collaboratively to deliver positive outcomes for Canberrans.”
“Alongside the ACT Government’s ambitious school infrastructure upgrade program, this funding will make a real difference for local schools and students,” Berry said.
“It’s clear that both the Commonwealth and ACT Government are committed to ensuring every child can attend their local public school and know it is a great school with the infrastructure they need.”
The latest round of infrastructure upgrades follows an announcement earlier this month in which the Federal and Victorian Governments pledged $250,000 worth of upgrades for dozens of needy schools in that state.
Victorian Minister for Education Ben Carroll said the funding would help ensure that all students across the state are supported in meeting their potential.
“We’ve invested billions into upgrading thousands of schools across Victoria and it’s great to have a partner in Canberra now doing the same - helping ensure our schools have the infrastructure they need to help students succeed.”