Jones talks up retention
EDUCATION Minister Kate Jones has played down the gulf between high school completion rates for regional and metro Queensland.
The Cairns Post yesterday launched its Fair Go For Our Kids campaign in an effort to force politicians to address the educational disadvantage facing regional areas.
Ms Jones questioned the results taken from Australian Bureau of Statistics data, arguing Queensland had the best retention rate in its history at 85.8 per cent.
“In Cairns, the retention rate was at 86.3 per cent in 2010-2014,” she said. “We’re now on track this year to have a retention rate of 87 per cent.
“Last year we achieved an 89.1 per cent retention rate.”
Neither Labor nor the LNP have committed to specific policies to bring regional high school completion rates up to a Brisbane standard.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said school graduation rates in regional areas were increasing, but change was slow.
“Every young Queenslander deserves access to quality education and training to develop the skills and create the opportunities for them to move from the classroom into the workforce,” she said.
Ms Jones said her department had worked hard to reengage students, particularly those who were indigenous.
“We’ve also employed child safety officers and coaches in every region whose job it is to work with kids at risk of dropping out of school,” she said.