Media Release
Queensland
students will have better access to jobs guidance and counselling
services under a Labor Government, Opposition Leader Annastacia
Palaszczuk said today.
Ms Palaszczuk said Labor would ensure schools with more than 500 high school students had a fulltime guidance officer or equivalent on staff.
“We will deliver an extra 45 fulltime guidance officer positions over three years to ensure more students get the professional support they need to make the best decisions about their future studies and career options and cope with the stresses of study and teenage life,” she said.
“Highly qualified guidance officers are also able to advise students, teachers and parents on a broad range of topics covering education, career development, mental health and family issues.
“Labor is committed to giving all our students the best possible chance to achieve their potential and recognises that many young people often need help.
“Instead of closing schools and threatening to take away limits on class sizes, like the LNP has done, we believe there is a better way.
“Labor’s plan is to invest $9 million over three years to increase the number of guidance officers working in state high schools.
“Under the plan about 50 schools will benefit from full-time guidance officers in 2016 while additional officers coming on stream in 2017 and 2018 will be assigned to schools according to need.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the Newman Government’s cuts to classroom spending had severely compromised the ability of high schools to assist pupils.
“The Newman Government has neglected our education system and now spends, according to its own published figures, $203 less per high school student than in 2012 and $1770 less on every student with a disability,” she said.
“This has increased the pressure on our classroom teachers and on Queensland students.
“The LNP’s decision to bundle funding for guidance officers, literacy and numeracy teachers and teachers of English as a second language has forced some schools to choose between employing a guidance officer or a specialist teacher.”
Ms Palaszczuk said Labor would ensure schools with more than 500 high school students had a fulltime guidance officer or equivalent on staff.
“We will deliver an extra 45 fulltime guidance officer positions over three years to ensure more students get the professional support they need to make the best decisions about their future studies and career options and cope with the stresses of study and teenage life,” she said.
“Highly qualified guidance officers are also able to advise students, teachers and parents on a broad range of topics covering education, career development, mental health and family issues.
“Labor is committed to giving all our students the best possible chance to achieve their potential and recognises that many young people often need help.
“Instead of closing schools and threatening to take away limits on class sizes, like the LNP has done, we believe there is a better way.
“Labor’s plan is to invest $9 million over three years to increase the number of guidance officers working in state high schools.
“Under the plan about 50 schools will benefit from full-time guidance officers in 2016 while additional officers coming on stream in 2017 and 2018 will be assigned to schools according to need.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the Newman Government’s cuts to classroom spending had severely compromised the ability of high schools to assist pupils.
“The Newman Government has neglected our education system and now spends, according to its own published figures, $203 less per high school student than in 2012 and $1770 less on every student with a disability,” she said.
“This has increased the pressure on our classroom teachers and on Queensland students.
“The LNP’s decision to bundle funding for guidance officers, literacy and numeracy teachers and teachers of English as a second language has forced some schools to choose between employing a guidance officer or a specialist teacher.”
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