Ms Doust said State Government education cuts were impacting on the ability of schools to deliver a quality education, pointing to 34 transportable classrooms housing students at Atwell and Aubin Grove primary schools .
She said the makeshift classrooms were a clear sign the State Government was not doing enough to accommodate growth in the area.
‘The residential strip from Atwell down through to Aubin Grove is one of the fastest growing areas in the State and nothing has been done by the Barnett Government to facilitate that growth,’ she said.
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READ NOW‘The Barnett Government has failed to predict enrolment growth along with infrastructure needs and it is our students who will ultimately be paying the price.
‘I have already had local constituents raise their concerns with me.’
Education Minister Peter Collier refuted claims that transportable classrooms were substandard.
‘The transportable classrooms offer a high standard of accommodation, are airconditioned and are equipped to provide a comfortable and well-resourced educational environment,’ he said. ‘They have been used for decades throughout the State’s public schools, as they provide flexibility in catering to students’ needs as population demands change.’
Aubin Grove Primary School principal Frank Pansini, whose 852-student school uses 18 transportable classrooms, backed up Mr Collier, saying students were not disadvantaged in any way.
‘The use of transportable classrooms enables the Department of Education to respond quickly and effectively to the growth and decline in student numbers that occurs in every suburb from time to time,’ he said.
‘In Aubin Grove we are experiencing a rapid growth in student numbers and the Department has responded by installing high-quality transportable classrooms that provide the same high-quality learning environment as our permanent classrooms.