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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-04-10 Daily Xml
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LITERACY AND NUMERACY

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Education and Child Development. Can the minister inform the house how the state government is partnering with the federal government to improve literacy and numeracy for students in South Australian schools?

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:55): I thank the member for Torrens for her question and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge her very longstanding commitment to improving learning outcomes for students, particularly in her electorate. Today I visited the Dernancourt Primary School with the federal Minister for Education (Hon. Peter Garrett) and the member for Torrens to announce that 233 South Australian schools will be taking part in the Improving Literacy and Numeracy National Partnership. Public, Catholic and independent schools across the state, both country and metropolitan, have put up their hands to be involved in this $19.7 million national partnership, which will support more than 10,000 students in this state.

Numeracy and literacy skills are important foundation skills for learning. Modern workplaces require young people to be able to solve complex problems, think creatively, analyse and come up with solutions, and communicate effectively. Our continuing partnership with the federal government is aimed at helping our students achieve and surpass key literacy and numeracy goals. The aims of this national partnership are improving literacy and numeracy learning for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and Aboriginal students, and improving the effectiveness of literacy and numeracy teaching in our schools, and these efforts will be monitored and analysed.

The partnership with the federal government will build on our minimum instruction times for junior primary students, who now spend a minimum of 90 minutes a week learning science, 300 minutes on mathematics and numeracy and 300 minutes on literacy. Students in years 4 to 7 spend at least 120 minutes on science a week and a minimum of 300 minutes a week on each of mathematics and literacy.

I am focused on improving the learning outcomes of our children, I am focused on supporting our teachers in the important work that they do every day with every child, and I am focused on ensuring the financial investment the state and federal governments are making in our schools delivers on the expectations of parents. This announcement today is great news for these 233 schools, public and private, country and metro, and Aboriginal, that are all prepared to put in the extra effort to assist these children who we know, with a little early assistance, will deliver lifelong benefits.

The SPEAKER: A supplementary from the member for Unley.

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