Moreland City College Closure - "F" for the Bracks Government
Saturday 31 July 2004
Moreland City College - "F" for the Bracks Government
The closure of Coburg's Moreland City College is a failure for the Bracks Government's education policies.
The children of Coburg and surrounding suburbs have been abandoned by a government unwilling to guarantee a safe and disciplined school environment.
This Labor Government has let a group of thugs tear this school community apart - instead of dealing with the thugs and enforcing discipline and standards; the Government is closing the school.
This is Labor Heartland in which a fine school has been destroyed by a soft socialist and undisciplined education department.
Over the last four years, Moreland City College was permitted to operate with an unacceptable record of violence and bullying, scholastic failure, poor discipline, non-attendance and truancy.
Lynne Kosky promised accountability for state schools over three years ago - yet under her leadership the number of badly performing state schools has blown out to over 100.
Lynne Kosky promised accountability for state schools over three years ago - yet this school was allowed to continue in its decline.
I find it bizarre that Lynne Kosky should blame the Kennett Government for this closure five years after her Government came to power.
Les Twentyman sounded a distress signal earlier in the year when he wrote that he was "alarmed the other day to read that a highly successful program in Moreland CityC ollege, where a police constable of Turkish origin was based full-time to work with the kids, was likely to be closed down."
Parents expect that children will be safe in school and that they will learn the basics. Over the last four years, they have identified this school as one to avoid. The enrolment numbers have halved during the last four years of Bracks Government administration. The VCE enrolments were about to halve again next year.
As a child, I grew up a short walk from the school. In those days it had a fine reputation for scholastic achievement.
As Coburg High, its successful students included the Dean of Architecture at MIT,Bill Mitchell, and Olympic athlete, Raelene Boyle.
The children of Coburg deserve all the opportunities my neighbours enjoyed in the area four decades ago.