Education Sector

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (15:42): I have spoken many times about how blessed my community and I are to have so many outstanding schools, both primary and secondary, as well as brilliant preschools and kindergartens, located in the electorate of Colton. These schools and early childhood development centres are shining beacons in the Colton electorate. They are also occupied not only by students, of course, but by many excellent teachers and support staff, all of whom are absolutely dedicated to the educational advancement of their charges and also, importantly, to the social development and wellbeing of their students.

I suspect that if you ask most people, 'Who has had a great influence over your life?' many will of course say their parents, but I suspect many others will cite a teacher or teachers they had when they were at school. This is certainly the case for me. Bearing in mind that I finished primary school 47 years ago and high school 41 years ago, I can still reel off the names of more than a handful of outstanding teachers who I know played a significant role in making me the person I am today.

I am not sure that these teachers would necessarily be too happy to learn this is the case; but, my point is this: the role of a schoolteacher and the influence that a teacher can have on a student can travel with you for your entire life. It is not just the educational aspect of a teacher's role. While education is the primary function, the teacher's role is also as an educator in life skills and attitudes which ensure that a person transitions from a student to adulthood, with attitudes and outlooks that will stay with you for your entire life.

Today, I want to express my gratitude to the tens of thousands of teachers and educational support staff in South Australia who undertake work in their field that is creating a significant foundation block in measuring the success or otherwise of communities now and into the future. It is impossible to understate the significance of the role of our teachers. It is important to recognise the influence that teachers have and have had in our lives and on our lives.

Deputy Speaker, I know you probably know the answer to this, but what is a single constant throughout our lives? As far as I am concerned, we are at a stage where we are going to go to school, we are at school, we have all been to school, we have children who might be at school, we have grandchildren at school. Beyond family, in the general sense, there is no greater influence on our lives than the role that schools and the teachers who occupy those schools have played.

I am inspired by the role that teachers play and the work they do. I want to channel the Minister for Education for a second here as well, in her very good contribution during question time today. I am also inspired by the students that I meet at our schools. When you go to Henley Beach Primary School, for example, and see two reception students hosting the assembly, it is amazing. In our day, unless you were the school captain, you never got anywhere near a microphone or got to speak, but what they are doing now is absolutely amazing. I am inspired by those students that I meet at primary schools and high schools, and the role models that they are and will become into the future.

In some quarters, it has been fashionable for some in our community to downplay or not recognise or even criticise our teaching fraternity. This is not only unfair, it is an attitude and an opinion not based in fact. It might well be that, whilst it has been a constant in our life, it is something that we always have an opinion about too. There are so many people who think that they know how to best educate their children, so that might have something to do with it as well.

Some of you would be aware that my wife, Annabel, is a teacher specialising in languages at the primary school level. To me, she epitomises the profession: hardworking, dedicated and committed to her job and the students she teaches. I believe this to be the case for the significant majority of teachers and educational support staff. That is not to say that there are not duds around. You cannot have a workforce the size of the teaching profession that does not include some who do not work to the standard expected. We have a workforce of 47 here in this chamber and I can tell you that, over the last 14 years, amongst the 47, there has been the odd dud or two in this place as well.

Today, I want to again thank and congratulate the teachers, support staff, principals and directors of Henley High School, St Michael's College, Fulham Gardens Primary School, Fulham North Primary School, Grange Primary School, Henley Beach Primary School, Kidman Park Primary School, Seaton Park Primary School, St Francis School, Star of the Sea School, Barbara Kiker Memorial Kindergarten, Elizabeth O'Grady Kindergarten, Fulham Park Preschool Kindergarten, Henley Community Kindergarten—indeed, all schools in South Australia and the teachers that do an outstanding job.