By Esther Lauaki
Victorian schools will have to squeeze in 25,000 more students than initially projected as enrolments soar at an unprecedented rate over the next five years.
The Education Department has revised its enrolment figures and now anticipates that state, Catholic and independent schools will have to accommodate 115,000 extra students.
The new figures, obtained by
The Age and based on updated Census data, eclipse previous projections of 90,000 additional students between 2018 and 2023.
While the state government is confident its record investment in new schools and upgrades will meet the demand, principals fear it could be a challenge if current trends continue.
Overcrowded schools are already rolling out three-storey portables, running classes in hallways and staggering lunch times.
And many newly opened state schools are already having to turn away out-of-zone families or are preparing to do so next year.
Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said he’d embarked on the biggest school building boom in the state’s history, with 100 new state schools to open over eight years.
“We are the fastest growing state in the country and that is reflected in our student numbers,” he said.
“This most recent budget saw an increase in funding for infrastructure to $1.8 billion up from $1.25 billion the previous year.”
Australian Principals Federation president Julie Podbury said some new schools were opening without all the required facilities.
She referred to a school in Melbourne’s west which opened without shade cloth or air conditioning.
“I know that the department is working very hard to try to accommodate the burgeoning enrolments in government schools,” she said.
“But the things that make them habitable and workable are not always being provided.”
Victorian state, Catholic and independent schools will have to accommodate one million students by next year – a figure reached a year earlier than expected. Around two-thirds of these enrolments will be in state schools.
Tarneit Rise Primary School is less than two years old and has already grown from 200 to 700 students. Next year, the school will have to accommodate more than 900 students.
“It can be challenging because new students are arriving every week,” said principal Nadia Bettio.
“We have 23 students starting next week and that’s like a whole new class. At the moment we are having to recruit new teachers.”
The school has exceeded the space in its permanent buildings and has rolled out six portables to manage the growth.
“It’s an exciting place to work,” Ms Bettio said. “It is so fast-paced.”
– The Age
