Narre Warren North Primary School has received two new portable buildings from the Education Department, but parents claim more needs to be done. Back: Paul Wright with Emma and Helen Berry. Front: Megan and Troy Berry.
By Rebecca Fraser
PARENTS at Narre Warren North Primary School claim the Education Department has asked them to keep quiet about their school’s ‘poor’ facilities.
The comments came after the A’Beckett Road school received four new classrooms recently, following angry school council members’ claims that cramped and smelly classrooms were unfairly disadvantaging students.
Earlier this year, parents labelled the school’s facilities a disgrace and school council president Michael Gonsalves told the News on 2 March that the school desperately wanted to get on the Education Department’s 2006 capital works program to help address the inadequate facilities.
After the local press coverage, the school received two new relocatable buildings housing four classrooms.
But parent and school council member Helen Berry said while they were grateful for the new facilities, this was not what the school council had asked for and she could not help but be cynical about the new allocation.
“We were told mid-last year by the regional director of the Education Department that we would not be considered this year and suddenly two weeks after the media attention we are top of the list and get new buildings,” she said.
Ms Berry also claims that the school council president had received calls from the Education Department asking why they had gone to the press.
“This was really insulting as we are all volunteers and want the best for our children. We went to the press as a last resort but I definitely think that going to the media led to the new classrooms,” she said.
Ms Berry said the new buildings were significantly better than what the school currently had and were more closely aligned to the environment the schoolchildren should learn in.
“This was not our prime intention (the portables) and this is a small step forward and there is still a long way to go,” she said.
Ms Berry said she was now hopeful that money for the school, that now houses 420 students, would be made available following the privatisation of the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme that will generate $600 million by mid-year.
Narre Warren North MP Luke Donnellan said he was aware that the school wished to get placed on the Capital Works program.
Mr Donnellan said he supported this and would continue to lobby for funds but could make no promises about when this would happen.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education and Training said the recent publicity over Narre Warren North Primary School had nothing to do with the school being allocated the two double-classroom relocatables.
“There’s no evidence that anyone at the school was told not to talk to the media by the department. School principals and school councils are of course free to talk to the media.
“In terms of future capital works, the department aims to ensure funds are directed to those schools most in need when future capital works programs are being prepared — and there are 1600 schools in the government school system to consider.
“The needs of Narre Warren North PS will be assessed as part of this process,” she said.
