Staffing remote schools: Perennial failure

Abstract

Educational and socioeconomic disadvantage in remote communities, and the inadequacies of government action to bring about significant change needs to be addressed. This article presents a descriptive study examining the complexities of staffing remote and very remote schools in Australia with appropriately-qualified teachers. The findings of analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on behalf of the Australian Government through the National Schools Statistics Collection (NSSC) indicate that the majority of students in remote schools in Australia live, and are educated in, Indigenous communities in three jurisdictions. This raises concerns of unacknowledged and unacceptable discrimination. Complexity within the current approach to resourcing of remote and very remote schools in Australia, especially in relation to economies of scale are explored. The analysis of existing data was discussed, and how this may be used to address the perennial failure to develop quality decisions, particularly in areas of resourcing in remote and very remote schools.