Every Australian is invited to join the celebration of public education day by sharing their #ProudToBePublic story on social media.
“Today is Public Education Day, a day to celebrate the incredible principals, teachers and education support staff that go to work in public schools every day, ready to help make a difference in the lives of all Australian students,” Australian Education Union Federal President, Correna Haythorpe said.
“The millions of us who are proud public school alumni know first-hand the positive impact public education had on our lives.
“We are inviting all Australians who attended public school to post an old school photo on social media and share their own story of how public education made a difference in their lives, using the hashtag #ProudToBePublic.
“Our public education system is something our nation can be immensely proud of. It has few equals across the world, providing hope, opportunity and purpose – no matter who you are or where you are from and what you hope to achieve in life.
“However, right now deep school funding inequality means that 1 in 10 public school students is effectively unfunded.
“That means that teachers, principals and education support staff in Australian public schools are denied the resources they need to educate their students, making up the shortfall by working unsustainably high workloads and long hours of unpaid overtime.
“Today, to celebrate Public Education Day, Australians can share their own #ProudToBePublic story and call on the Federal Government to fully fund all public schools by providing 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard.
“This will ensure that children now and in the decades to come will one day have their own #ProudToBePublic story to tell,” Ms Haythorpe said.
Media contact: Alys Gagnon, 0438 379 977, [email protected]
25 May 2023