Speaking to the NSW Secondary Principals' Council (NSWSPC) annual conference in Sydney, NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, said principals had been given the resources to enhance teaching and learning outcomes, as well as the power to make more decisions for their school.
“It's crucial that they use these tools to work towards our two most important goals – improved student outcomes and wellbeing," Piccoli said in a statement, adding that the foundations had now been laid for a “seismic step up” in education.
"We have partnered with teachers and principals to lay the foundations for a seismic step up in education and with their support we will deliver."
Educators and professors from around the world who attended the Oxford University Education Research Symposium in December touted NSW’s school funding model as the world’s best.
Lila Mularczyk, NSWSPC president, said that the renowned Finnish educator and Harvard scholar, Pasi Sahlberg, was “blown away” by the Gonski and Great Teaching Inspired Learning (GTIL) initiatives during his visit to Australia last year.
“NSW, without fail, has the best resource funding model of any other country or state. It is a big call, but it’s substantiated,” Mularczyk told The Educator.
Referring to the role of principal as “an unprecedented privileged position”, Mularczyk hailed the extensive support network the Minister had made available for principals in the state.
During this week’s conference, the Minister also highlighted key changes, including additional needs-based funding being delivered to schools, targeted support for regional students and individual funding for students with a disability, as well as those from Indigenous backgrounds.
Piccoli also pointed to the state’s enhanced focus on quality teaching through the GTIL initiative, the introduction of standards-based pay for teachers, and greater school accountability through the school excellence framework.