Question to the Minister for Education
QUESTION ON NOTICE — Ms Sandell to ask the Minister for Education —
With reference to the recently announced rezoning of University High, will the school receive additional resources for its extra rezoning.
The Minister for Education The Hon James Merlino MP answers:
I am informed as follows:
University High School, like all schools in Victoria, receives a student resource package that is calculated based on its student population. If a school accepts more enrolments, the school will receive a larger student resource package payment than it would have otherwise.
Local kids should be able to go to their local school, it's as simple as that. University High School is not a select entry school - it is a local secondary school yet over half of their students come from outside the enrolment zone.
This old zone resulted in hundreds of local children unable to attend their local school. University High School must comply with the same enrolment policy as other schools across Victoria.
Including Docklands and the CBD in the enrolment zone will not increase existing student numbers. It simply means places must be offered to local students first before being filled up by students from outside the enrolment zone.
No changes will be made to the Terms of Agreement for the Elizabeth Blackburn School of Sciences. Provision for select entry into specialist areas of study in Science and Maths will continue as part of this facility. The Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) will also continue to provide access to schools for STEM education under its existing Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education and Training.