Right across the country, there are millions of personal stories about how public education transforms lives and opens doors to a better future.
The fundamental belief in the transformative effect of education is why I became a teacher.
For 17 years I was a primary school teacher, mostly in low-SES schools in northern Adelaide and Port Pirie. I saw first-hand the difference that education makes for students and communities. But it was before this, when I was a student, that I discovered how public education can truly change the trajectory of your life.
I grew up in Streaky Bay, South Australia. Living in a small, isolated community poses some unique challenges for education. For those of us who were still attending the local school, our education came to an abrupt end at Year 11 because the school could not offer a year 12 curriculum. So at 15 I gave up on education and dropped out of school to become a deckhand on a fishing boat.
During my six months on the boat, a group of dedicated public school teachers and Principal Ted Wright, successfully lobbied the Education Department to have a Year 12 class start at Streaky Bay. They encouraged me to return to school and be part of the first Year 12 class ever in the town. That wasn’t an easy decision for me at the time, but it was a decision that changed my life forever.
That first Year 12 class had six students and the challenges that we faced were met at every stage by committed and passionate teachers who knew the importance of public education and guided us throughout the year to achieve our dreams.
From that original class of six students, three went on to study teaching and I became the first person in my family to complete secondary school and to go to Uni. All of which would not have been possible without those incredible teachers who helped me to understand that I could have a different future.
Since that year, hundreds of students have completed Year 12 at Streaky Bay Area School. This has been life changing for so many students and their families.
Public education is the great enabler and it is time that we recognise its critical role in building our nation and providing opportunities for all students regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances.
The power of public education to elevate individuals and communities is undeniable. But public education is not just about individual success - it’s also about the collective success of society.
A well-educated population drives economic growth, innovation, and prosperity. By investing in public education, we are investing in Australia’s future workforce, ensuring that our nation remains competitive in a rapidly changing world.
As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure that every child has access to high-quality education, regardless of their economic status, background or geography.
And we must ensure that governments back principals and teachers to deliver a great education for students in public schools. This requires funding public schools to a level that ensures all children can succeed.
The For Every Child campaign has at its core aim, that all public schools must be funded to a minimum 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard, (SRS) the minimum standard agreed to by all governments.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Albanese signed school funding agreements with all state governments to lock in guaranteed funding increases year on year to 2034.
For Streaky Bay Area school and all South Australian schools, the agreement signed between the Malinauskas and Albanese Governments not only provides extra funding but it provides certainty, enabling schools to better plan for the future.
That means schools can invest in more teachers and education support staff, more one-on-one support for students who need extra help and additional specialist support such as counsellors and speech pathologists.
It is the beginning of new foundations for Australia’s public school system and the benefits of this investment will be felt by the teaching profession, students and in our communities for generations.
And that is most definitely worth celebrating – happy Public Education Day.
Correna Haythorpe
Australian Education Union Federal President
