Rural and Remote Education - Qld

Rural

and Remote Education - Qld

Meeting with secondary students

at Normanton School, 5 October 1999 - notes

Approximately 11

students, both boys and girls, attended. They discussed a range of issues

relating to their schooling and their hopes for the future.

General

"Education here is

not too good. We are way behind other schools."

School retention

"There are plenty

of kids who leave school early, around Year 9. Their parents don't make

them stay at school. Some of the boys go and work on the stations. Some

of the girls go and have babies."

Subject choice

"We need more choice

of subjects."

"They should have

more subjects like drama and graphics."

"Girls should be

given more encouragement to do rural studies and manual arts."

"There are no classes

in Aboriginal culture."

"We would like more

opportunities for learning music at school. including more instruments

and more time allowed for music classes."

"I would like to

learn more about art. "

Teachers

"We need more teachers."

"Teachers should

try to become more a part of the community."

School facilities

"The school needs

more science equipment and more sports equipment."

"We would like lockers

for all high school students, new cricket bats, less gravel on the sport

field and more grass."

"They should have

cheaper food at the tuckshop."

"We need more water

pressure in the taps at school."

Sport

"There are not many

sporting activities to choose from at school."

"The school needs

more science equipment and more sports equipment."

"We need better sport

facilities at school - goal posts, gloves for soft ball and baseball and

soccer nets."

"It would be good

if we had more inter-school sports."

"There is not enough

sport for girls."

"Most of the sporting

activities at school are geared toward the boys. They get all the good

sport excursions. The boys get to go to Mt Isa and all sorts of places.

The girls have been to Doomadgee and a few other places."

"If girls want to

start a team in one of their sports, it is hard to find someone to coach

them."

Technology

"We need more computers

in the classroom."

Fighting and other

problems at school

"If you have a problem

at school, there are not many people you can talk to. There is a lady

who comes to the school to talk to students but she is only here sometimes.

Most of the time you talk to your mum or to a friend, or maybe to a teacher

you can trust."

"If I feel unsafe

or something is wrong, I feel that I could take my problem to the school

principal and he would take it seriously. He would listen and try to help

me but I would have to have a case."

"At some of the city

schools, kids are able to get alcohol and drugs."

School excursions

"I would like more

opportunities to go away on school trips and excursions."

"The school organises

work experience excursions for us although there have not been as many

as we would like. There have been trips to Mt Isa, Cairns and Townsville.

The money for these trips comes from fund-raising activities like discos."

Years 11-12 and

future plans

"It's hard for kids

who go away to complete Years 11 and 12, because they are behind many

of the other students. Sometimes they are able to catch up but they have

to work very hard."

"I'd like to go away

for Years 11 and 12. I don't think I would get homesick." [Most of the

students]

"Normanton is home.

Even if I go away for Years 11 and 12 would like to come back here to

live." [Most of the students]

"I would like to

go to university." [2 students]

"I don't think I

will finish Year 12." [1 student]

"I hope I will be

able to get a job when I leave school."

Last

updated 2 December 2001.