MEDIA RELEASE


The major and minor parties’ response to a questionnaire on school libraries has been analysed by a coalition of NSW government teacher-librarians before the state election this weekend. The Greens scored the highest across the board on the seven major questions posed.


Both of the major parties were found to have no clear vision or leadership required to address staffing and funding issues which impact strongly on the level of curriculum support school libraries are able to give to classroom teachers and students.

The Greens scored strongly. Labor's position obviously come straight from the Department of Education and Training, and the pattern is clear. Allowing individual principals carte blanche has created a downward spiral. This is very sad, as NSW was once one of the leading lights internationally in school libraries and information literacy. Certainly principals need flexibility, but professional discretion needs to be part of an upward spiral accompanied by strong central support, staffing and funding. Liberal Shadow Minister for Education, Brad Hazzard, did not reply to the questionnaire, but did offer to meet with teacher librarians.

Greens candidate for Heathcote Jill Merrin said, “NSW teacher-librarians have great experience and credibility in their work for students in NSW government schools. They have done a comparison of the major parties on the major issues facing school libraries – the use of teacher-librarians as relief teachers, adequate clerical support, the need for the staffing formula for teacher-librarians to change from student numbers-based to class-numbers based, the need for a guaranteed level of funding, adequate consultancy support and pre-service teacher training on information literacy and teacher-librarian collaboration.“

The NSW teacher-librarian network has said "Morris Iemma and Peter Debnam have failed to show leadership on these educational issues.”

John Kaye, Greens education spokesperson, said "The learning needs of students will be best met by professionally trained teacher-librarians working collaboratively with classroom teachers rather than as relief teachers."

“Neither of the major parties are seriously addressing the educational role of teacher-librarians,” said Ms Merrin. “The Greens are convinced of the value of teacher and teacher -librarian collaborative relationships for improving student learning outcomes. Libraries are a vital part of life long learning and adequate provision must be made to build information literate school communities.”

To read the full results of the parties’ scorecards, go to the Teacher-Librarians Campaign website: http://tlinks.wetpaint.com/page/2+out+of+4+scorecard


Contacts:

Jill Merrin, Candidate for Heathcote, 0422 655 711
Georgia Phillips, Teacher Librarians Campaign, 0419423570