The ACT Government has announced that the upcoming budget will invest an additional $20m into Gungahlin schools to meet the demands of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions.
With a number of new and expanding suburbs in the area, the Gungahlin community has seen a significant population growth of 44.8 percent over the past five years.
Building on last year’s budget, which included a new primary school for north Gungahlin, this announcement will support 680 more student places for families wishing to send their children to a local school.
The ACT has a world class education system, and the ACT Budget 2016-17 will continue to invest more into local schools. Further funding to upgrade schools across the Territory will be announced when next week’s budget is released.
Minister for Education Shane Rattenbury said that parents are choosing to enrol their children in public schools, safe in the knowledge they will receive a high quality education from kindergarten through to year 12.
“Right across the ACT, enrolments in public schools are growing with our school census showing a 14.9 percent increase in the past five years,” Minister Rattenbury said.
“In Gungahlin, enrolments in public schools in the five year period have increased by 66.8 percent. It’s predicted this number will continue to increase as the population continues to grow.
“The Government is planning for this growth and will invest $20 million to expand school facilities in Gungahlin and increase student places by 680. This funding is in addition to the $28.6 million allocated in the 2015-16 ACT Budget to build a new primary school in north Gungahlin ready for the 2019 school year,” Minister Rattenbury said.
The funding will provide for:
- Amaroo School – 12 new learning spaces to cater for 300 secondary school students, an expanded gym to accommodate increased student capacity and allow for additional community use, and installation of new hard courts;
- Harrison School – installation of eight new learning spaces for 200 primary and middle-school students; and
- Neville Bonner and Palmerston Primary Schools – new and expanded primary and preschool facilities.
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