Minister for Education, James Merlino, has helped honour 11 principals from Melbourne Catholic schools for 20 years of service to Victorian students.
Mr Merlino attended the Catholic Education Melbourne’s annual Celebration of Principalship last night, which recognises principals who have achieved 20 years of service.
The celebration was also a chance to recognise the late Peter Chowne, who worked in Catholic education for 35 years and was principal of St Joseph the Worker, in Reservoir, until he passed away in April.
Non-government schools form an integral part of Victoria’s education system, with more than one-third of Victorian students attending Catholic or independent schools.
The 2015-16 Victorian Budget invests almost $4 billion in Victoria’s education and skills system – representing the single biggest boost to education funding in Victoria’s history.
This includes $120 million over four years to upgrade non-government school infrastructure, matching dollar-for-dollar the non-government sector’s contribution.
The Education and Training Reform Act now also guarantees that per-student funding to non-government schools is at least 25 per cent of per-student funding to government schools.
The Andrews Labor Government is working closely with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria and Independent Schools Victoria to ensure funding targets the areas of greatest need.
There are 331 primary and secondary Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne, educating 150,000 students.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“The Andrews Labor Government is committed to establishing Victoria as the Education State and this means enabling every child at every school to achieve their potential.
“We cannot achieve this goal without great leadership in every school. Evidence shows that strong school leadership has a significant positive effect on the quality of teaching, learning and outcomes for students."
“I would like to congratulate all the principals recognised tonight for their long-serving commitment to leadership at Catholic schools across Melbourne.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020