ISOLATED Children's Parents' Association (ICPA) president Andrew Pegler injected much-needed confidence into the embattled distance education system at the 43rd state conference in Townsville earlier this week.
The annual meeting, which first began in 1974, hosted 46 branches from across the state including Birdsville, Weipa, Camooweal, Mount Isa School of the Air and many more.
Along with special performances from the Belyando/Mt Coolon and The Cathedral School of St Ann & St James choirs’ the event featured a host of guest speakers; British Education Consultant and Trainer Neil Mackay, Australian Boarding School’s Association Richard Stokes, Minister for Education, Training and Employment Hon John-Paul Langbroek and Dean of Medicine at JCU Professor Richard Murray.
Mr Pegler opened the two-day event with a strongly worded speech, assuring the 230 delegates that all motions addressed at the forum would be carefully examined.
He said the conference aims at addressing problems causing financial strain for those families in rural or remote areas.
“We will hear a lot of communication issues, access to internet, issues such as affordable education for those who don’t have affordable access to a secondary school,” Mr Pegler said.
“Issues surrounding special needs, dyslexia, access to speech pathologists and other troubles involving our regional education system, will also be raised.”
The ICPA president prompted concerns with the average costs of Queensland boarding school fees with an expected cost of $272,196 for a family of three.
“Based on 2014 figures, to meet the average fees for state boarding school, rural families would be required to have a gross earning in excess of $400,000,” he said.
“No wonder the age profile of farmers has changed drastically over the past three decades with young families forced to relocate to further their education.”
Mr Pegler said teachers, at home through distance education or in urban areas, were under more pressure than ever to deliver through the National Curriculum.
“Education is one of the things that makes or breaks rural areas and this year we will have plenty of feedback about the way the curriculum has been rolled out.
“I think we’ve made a very substantial difference in improving the way it’s delivered to kids in rural areas, but there’s still a way to go.”
To see the full gallery from the conference click on the photo below:
Motion A17 raised by the Belyando/Mount Coolon branch lobbied for Education Queensland to increase broadband subsidy to reflect the increased internet usage required by distance education students.
“Currently 85 per cent of isolated students throughout Queensland are unable to access appropriate mobile device coverage.
“Most rural educators are paying up to $95 per week for basic broadband, totalling almost $5000 per annum.”
Despite last year’s raise in the IT hardware allowance, increasing $250 per child per year, and the internet subsidy increase to $500 per child per year, the Belyando/Mount Coolon branch expressed further concerns.
