Sydney, Australia, Sep 20, 2018 / 23:04 pm
A $4.6 billion funding package for Catholic and independent schools in Australia has won the support of a national Catholic education group, which says the plan corrects key flaws from the previous funding model.
"Families can only have school choice if there is an affordable alternative to free, comprehensive government schools," said Ray Collins, acting executive director of the National Catholic Education Commission.
"If the only option is a high-fee school, choice is restricted to those parents rich enough to afford high fees."
The National Catholic Education Commission has given its full support to the new funding package, announced Thursday by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The plan includes $3.2 billion to fund non-government schools through a new model over the next decade. It also includes a $1.2 billion "choice and affordability fund" to support rural and drought-affected schools and other schools that require extra aid.