The Education and Children’s Services Bill currently before the state Parliament has stalled for four months while negotiations between Government and Upper House MPs on amendments continue.
Quotes attributable to Tammy Franks MLC:
“This Bill was a “once in a generation” reform but has been bogged down in disagreement on several amendments – with one of the disagreements being the Education Ombudsman amendments put forward by the Greens that were successful in the Upper House.
“Through the negotiations in past weeks we have today been able to secure a Government inquiry into not only the need for an Education Ombudsman but the very concerns we raised that support the need for the Ombudsman.
“The Marshall Government will undertake an inquiry into the use of suspensions, exclusions and expulsions as well as the concerns raised by the Upper House Select Committee into Access to education for Children With a Disability. This is a big win for children, families and access to education for all. Through this inquiry we hope to finally get some proper information on the process and outcome of complaints, and better avenues for raising and dealing with concerns.
“South Australians will likely spend more than a decade in our school system, and the education system is the second largest government employer. It is important that this Government inquires into the impact that an Education Ombudsman or a more rigorous complaints mechanism would have on the education sector.”