Education Minister, Bronwyn Pike

Earlier in the week I wrote a little post about the fight to get the Victorian Government, Victorian Education Department, Bronwyn Pike and the Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks John Brumby to take ownership of School Closure/Merger decisions in the state due to the fact that, although they are getting school councils to vote on these decisions, they are also activily forcing many of these councils into these decisions.

Well the first victory in the campaign has been won with the Minister giving in on the fight to have them come forth with the list of schools that have merged or closed user there government. The story was broken by The Age and its Education Editor, Farrah Tomazin and Education Reporter, Miki Perkins:

MORE than 150 Victorian public schools have closed or merged since Labor has been in government, with the Education Department reaping millions of dollars from schools that have shut down.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike yesterday bowed to pressure and released a list of schools that have closed or merged since 1999, insisting each one had been a voluntary decision by the local community.

via School closures list released in Government about-face.

So now we have them admitting that there have been a lot of schools changing structure, now its time to push on and ask that they take the ownership for these school closures instead of laying the blame squarely at the feet of the hard working Parents that give up hours of there time with no reward to sit on school councils to help not only their kids but all the other kids at the school during their time there and into the future (if the schools have a futrue depending on the will of the Government/Department!):

But with more mergers and closures to come, Ms Pike rejected Opposition claims the Government had a “hit list” of schools.

“It’s always a decision that the community themselves make,” she said.

Why can’t the Government that is elected to Govern and make the hard decisions own the decisions that they are making? Why must you blame us Minister? And it is blame and it is hiding from scrutiny! Its weak! I challenge you to stand up strong. Say bugger the political fallout (which to be honest there would be little as no one actually believes your not forcing schools to merger anyway), I am going to do what is right, what I was elected to do because it is right, not that it is popular! Because to be honest, I have been a labour voter my whole life, but this has turned me off them and the only way they can win back my vote is by being strong and doing what is right for a change!

Oh, by the way, your list is already wrong! For one, Lyndale and GreenSlopes Primary schools have agreed to merge! Do you know of any others missing off the list? Leave a comment below!

Part of the reason for the merger was so that all schools in the area could share in the Government money, and I for one will be hot on their tail to make sure they come through with the funds that the virtually promissed for a rebuild of the new school that is in desperate need of it!

Anyway, last Friday we got Patty his new uniform and it looks a lot better then I thought it would (not a big fan of red myself).