THE former Bartlett government's top minder and education adviser Terry Field has urged Premier Lara Giddings to rethink school closures and lay off country schools.
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Mr Field's brother, former premier Michael Field, tried to close 27 schools in 1989.
Terry Field said there was enough capacity in Hobart to close some schools instead of virtually closing communities by shutting schools in regional areas.
"I don't get it why they haven't looked at Hobart, given what David Bartlett was able to do in the northern suburbs," Mr Field said.
"They should not close country schools. It would be more cost-effective to look at merging schools in Hobart such as Albuera Street, South Hobart, Mount Nelson, Waimea Heights and Landsdown Crescent primary schools, rather than pick on schools in country towns.
"You close the school, you close down the community."
Mr Field was chief of staff to Paula Wriedt as education minister and chief of staff to David Bartlett while he was both premier and education minister.
He is a former Northern school principal and was an education administrator.
"I am disturbed by the inference that every school will be audited," he said.
"It means they are all now under threat. That will create angst in the various communities, and that is a mistake.
"They are going about it the wrong way by making the communities around the state have to justify their existence.
"I think Nick McKim is the right man for this, but he must reconsider the time- frame and the strategy and stop saying it is about better education outcomes when it is really about money.
"When Sue Napier closed schools, we got agreement from (Labor MHA) Peter Patmore and the late George Brookes, MLC, to close schools such as Ravenswood and Elphin Rise. Once you take out the politics, you take out the emotion."
