Recommendations: National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education.

Overview & Synopsis

In February 1999, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission initiated the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education, which investigated the provision of education for children in rural and remote Australia. The inquiry took evidence at formal public hearings in every state and territory and at less formal meetings with parents, students, educators, and community members in rural and remote areas of every state and the Northern Territory. The inquiry received 287 written and e-mailed submissions. The inquiry also commissioned a survey from Melbourne University to which 3,128 individuals responded. This report presents the inquiry findings related to rural education outcomes, responsibility for education, the policy context, and the human rights context. It offers 73 recommendations organized by five necessary features of school education: availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and adaptability. The report makes the adoption of these five features by all education policy makers and providers in Australia its first recommendation. A separate chapter describes necessary policy parameters for the implementation of all inquiry recommendations, including the need for cross-sectoral and interagency collaborations, a new funding framework for rural and remote education, and other strategies. Appendices contain 26 references, extracts from international treaties, and lists of hearings and submitters. (TD)