Local Schools To Remain Open

Parents who send their children to one of the smaller local schools can breathe a sigh of relief this week following news that the several schools earmarked for closure, are in fact expected to stay open.

A recent Regional Queensland Summit predicted and named several schools in the state that were expected to close by 2027, one of those was Millaroo.

Access to education was raised as a major issue at the summit and claims were made that some local schools could be temporarily mothballed or closed due to declining enrolments.

Millaroo State School has just seven students, but it is far from the smallest student population in the Burdekin, with Maidavale having just one pupil.

Meanwhile, Airville has just 10 students and Osborne only 13.

Millaroo’s Small Schools Manager Anna Hoare said that despite speculation, enrolments are growing at the school.

“We run a very successful playgroup and already have two kindy enrolments for next year,” she explained.

“Our school has an increase in numbers this year.

“The school is really important in this area and the benefit has a flow-on effect, it is one of the only places where the people socialise and it is a big part of our community.”

Member for Burdekin Dale Last agreed, saying that he believes the local schooling system is working well and he is determined to defend it.

In fact, within the past week, our local member has managed to secure a guarantee that all schools in the region are safe.

“Several schools in the Burdekin were included in a list of ‘at risk’ schools in media reports,” Mr Last said.  

“Those closures would have a huge impact on families whose children attend so, as soon as the rumours came to light, I took the issue up with the Education Minister.

“The Minister has confirmed, via a response to a question in Parliament, that there are no plans to close any schools in the Burdekin. That is reassuring for families and staff.”

Mr Last said that the role of the smaller schools in the district extended further than a ‘standard education’, a factor that staff and the school communities should be extremely proud of.

“As demographics have changed and student numbers have declined, several of those schools have made changes to teaching methods and facilities to cater to students who have struggled in larger schools,” he said.

“It’s a huge credit to the staff at those schools that they have identified ways to ensure that all students are engaged and can reach their full potential.  

“In larger centres, you would have schools assigned to those roles but here in the Burdekin, the staff and school communities have taken it upon themselves to ensure a brighter future for students.

“Like other government services, all we have ever asked for when it comes to education is for the same opportunities as people in cities and larger centres.  Now that we have the assurance from the Minister, those schools can confidently get on with what they do best; educating our future generations.”

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Member for Burdekin, Dale Last, with the Millaroo School Teacher, Sydney Gane and students. Photo supplied

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