The Abbott Government’s decision to keep funding its School Chaplaincy program, despite its High Court defeat, shows it has got its priorities wrong on schools funding, the AEU said today.

It is clear from today’s announcement with Tasmania that State Governments see Christopher Pyne’s Independent Public Schools plan for the flawed policy it is, the Australian Education Union said today.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s “policy roundtable” on disability education in Perth today is a stunt designed to distract attention from funding cuts and his broken promise to increase funding for students with disability, the AEU said today.

The Abbott Government must not be allowed to abandon the agreement with State and Territory Governments to ensure 15 hours of pre-school per week for every four-year old in Australia, the Australian Education Union said today.

The AEU has condemned Education Minister Christopher Pyne for failing to raise the humanitarian issue of schoolchildren being killed in Gaza during his current visit to Israel.

The campaign to stop the Abbott Government’s cuts to Gonski will be stepped up with the launch in Sydney today of National Gonski week.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott must heed the recommendations of a Senate inquiry into schools funding which has backed the full six years of needs-based Gonski funding, the AEU said today.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s $22 million expansion of the Direct and Explicit Instruction trial in indigenous communities in Cape York is expanding an unproven program, and is no substitute for Gonski funding in remote areas, the Australian Education Union said today.

New figures showing Australian teachers are working longer hours and teaching bigger classes than the OECD average demonstrate the urgent need for better resourcing of schools the AEU said today.

The AEU has called on the Government to work to lift ATAR scores for teaching students, as new figures show scores dropping for new students.

Plans to expand the Teach for Australia program are a waste of money and will do nothing to help disadvantaged schools, the AEU said today.

The High Court’s decision to declare the funding of the Abbott Government’s Schools Chaplaincy Program unconstitutional is an opportunity to redirect $245 million to areas of greater need, the AEU said today.

Tony Abbott’s decision to abandon needs-based Gonski funding for schools will lead to the loss of thousands of desperately needed teachers in disadvantaged schools, new research shows.

Schools are today being encouraged to acknowledge the importance of access to education for children across the world by marking the International Day of the African Child.

AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said today that Tony Abbott’s plan for corporate-run schools would increase inequity in the system, waste scarce resources and short-change students on the quality of their education.

The Federal Government will end the jobs of 583 secular welfare officers in schools as it uses its $245.3 million Chaplaincy program to push religion into public schools, Senate Estimates revealed last night.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott must confirm whether he is planning to abandon government schools after extraordinary claims by Education Minister Christopher Pyne that he doesn’t feel responsible for them.

The Abbott Government’s abandoning of Gonski funding will hurt public school students across Australia and entrench disadvantage in our school system, the AEU said today.