TIMSS 2023 results highlight need for increased funding for public schools

The latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) results have once again highlighted the growing inequalities within Australia’s education system, and the need for full funding of public schools.

These results show the performance gap between socio-economically disadvantaged students, Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students, and their peers has continued to widen.

While Australia’s Year 4 students showed improvements in both mathematics and science, Year 8 students saw stagnation, with an alarming increase in very low performers.

Alarmingly, Australia's gender gap ranked worst of the 58 participating countries for the biggest difference between boys' and girls' test scores.

With public schools teaching the vast majority of Australian students, including 80% of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe warns that these results underline the urgent need for increased investment in public schools to address the entrenched disadvantage facing many Australian students.

“The results from TIMSS 2023 should signal a wake-up call for the Albanese Government about the urgent need to fully fund our public schools,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“While we are pleased to see some improvements in Year 4, the stagnation in Year 8, particularly among our most disadvantaged students, is deeply concerning.”

The data further highlights the link between socio-economic status (SES) and educational outcomes with students from educationally advantaged families, as indicated by the number of books in the home, consistently outperformed their peers.

Regional and remote students also faced challenges, with those in metropolitan areas outperforming students in regional locations.

“This geographical divide underscores the need for increased funding to ensure that every child, regardless of their location or background, has access to quality education,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“The evidence is clear: without increased investment in our public schools, the gap between students from low and high SES backgrounds, as well as between Aboriginal students and Torres Strait Islander students and non-Indigenous students, will only continue to grow. We cannot afford to leave these students behind.”

The AEU is calling on the Federal Government to urgently address the systemic underfunding of public schools, and fund public schools to 100% of the School Resource Standard (SRS).

“Prime Minister Albanese promised that under his government no one would be left behind or held back, and that the door of opportunity would open for every child. These results show that is not the case,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“Addressing these inequalities requires the Albanese Government to commit to fully funding public education, ensuring every student has access to the resources and support they need to succeed, no matter where they live or their socio-economic background.”

“With the right funding, every student can reach their full potential, and then we can see a turn around in these results.”

ENDS

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Kylie Jensen – 0402 298 728