An expert inquiry into Tasmania's struggling education system should be commissioned in the next state government's first 100 days, three prominent thinkers say.
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Alarmed by data showing just 53 per cent of Tasmanians are leaving school with a year 12 or equivalent qualification compared with 76 per cent nationally, economist Saul Eslake, demographer Lisa Denny and academic Michael Rowan issued the call for an independent inquiry in the lead-up to the March 23 election.
"It is no longer acceptable that Tasmania continues to languish at the bottom of Australia's economic and social indicators," they said in an open letter to state politicians with a wide range of signatories.
"We believe that an effectively functioning Tasmanian education system is the key to unlocking a brighter future for all Tasmanians."
They expected such an inquiry could give the government of the day the chance to reform the system as needed to ensure young Tasmanians benefited at least as much from education as other young Australians.
"We acknowledge the good intentions of the current and previous governments to improve educational outcomes for young Tasmanians," they said.
"But, while there has been significant investment in the education system to this end, there has been little improvement."
They said the gap between educational outcomes in Tasmania and other jurisdictions was large and widening.
That was despite the state government spending more per student than all states and territories except the Northern Territory and Tasmania having higher ratios of staff to students.
"Many now agree that the system is not functioning as it should, nor is it meeting the needs of Tasmania, nor Tasmanians," they said.
"There is also little agreement as to the scale and source of the problem, nor how it can be fixed.
"Tasmania deserves a fresh approach.
"We believe that an inquiry must have the authority to establish why young Tasmanians are not achieving educational outcomes like their peers in other states."
They want the inquiry to be led by an educational leader of national standing, and include members with expertise in effective education reform.
The open letter said the inquiry should make recommendations to improve the system in areas that could include legislation, regulations, organisational structure, staffing and curriculum.
Sean Ford
The Advocate Newspaper, Tasmania. Business, economics, politics, crime.
The Advocate Newspaper, Tasmania. Business, economics, politics, crime.
