The Rudd Government will deliver a $14.7 billion boost to the Education Revolution over the next three financial years. The Building the Education Revolution (BER) will commence in 2008-09 and provide new facilities and refurbishments in schools to meet the needs of 21st century students and teachers.
All of Australia's 9,540 schools will benefit from the immediate funding for major and minor infrastructure projects.
The program builds on the Rudd Government's commitment to all Australian schools by targeting primary and secondary school infrastructure requirements in both the government and non-government sectors.
The three key elements of BER are:
- Primary Schools for 21st Century — $12.4 billion to build or refurbish large scale infrastructure in primary schools, K-12s and special schools, including libraries and multipurpose halls.
- Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools — $1 billion to build up to 500 science laboratories or language learning centres in our secondary schools. There will be a competitive process for proposals. Funding will be allocated to schools that demonstrate need, readiness and capacity to complete construction by 30 June 2010.
- National School Pride Program (Renewing Australia's Schools) — $1.3 billion to refurbish and renew existing infrastructure and build minor infrastructure in all schools.
Questions and Answers
Will all of Australia's schools benefit from BER?
- All of Australia's 9,540 schools, both government and non-government, will benefit from the overall program, as well as over 3.4 million students.
Will local communities benefit from BER?
- It is a condition of funding for major infrastructure projects in primary schools (such as halls and libraries) that schools make these facilities available for community use at no or low cost.
What will the funding focus on?
- Funding under Primary Schools for the 21st century will be provided to build new facilities such as 21st century libraries and multipurpose halls, and major upgrades of existing facilities.
- Funding under Science and Language Centres for 21st Century Secondary Schools will be directed to build new science laboratories and language learning centres in up to 500 secondary schools.
- Funding under National School Pride Program will be available for minor infrastructure construction and refurbishment of existing facilities in both primary and secondary schools.
When will the projects commence?
- The first projects will commence by the end of June 2009 at the latest.
When will the projects be completed?
- Minor infrastructure builds will be completed within 6-8 months, if not sooner, and major infrastructure builds such as libraries or multipurpose halls must be completed by 30 June 2011. The building of new science and language centres will be fast-tracked to be completed by 30 June 2010.
When and how will BER be implemented? How will you ensure projects are delivered on time?
- BER will commence immediately with first funding expected to be paid at the latest by June 2009.
- Government schools will be able to apply for funding through the State and Territory Governments and non-government schools from Block Grant Authorities (BGAs) as of February 2009.
- Funding will be provided through States and Territories bilateral agreements with each State and Territory and BGA.
- States and Territories and Block Grant Authorities (BGAs) will be required to prioritise projects and ensure those projects will meet milestones, including completion. A condition of all funding agreements will be that each project is to meet its designated milestones. All schools will be required to report on progress on projects through an on-line reporting portal. That will mean that States and Territories, BGAs and the Commonwealth will be able to monitor progress and identify emerging delays and barriers to progress.
What if a school would like to build or update other infrastructure?
- Whilst the priority is for the building of new libraries or multipurpose halls there will be some flexibility for primary schools that have existing libraries and multipurpose halls. They may be approved to either build another multipurpose facility, refurbish existing facilities, or build another facility that will be approved by the Commonwealth.