More parents consider NAPLAN pullout over teacher cuts in Tasmania
More Tasmanian state school parents are considering a boycott on NAPLAN testing as they fight budget cuts to education.
About 50 people from 24 schools gathered at a closed meeting in Hobart last night to discuss the State Government's plan to cut 266 full-time jobs.
State Schools Organisations president Jenny Eddington said school communities discussed ways to "maintain the rage".
She said removing children from NAPLAN testing was one suggestion.
"That has some implications on data collection for education and also it does have some implications on funding," Ms Eddington said.
"If they were unable to put their NAPLAN results in, or an insignificant number of NAPLAN results, that could hypothetically ... affect the funding of an additional program to help with numeracy or literacy."
A widespread boycott of NAPLAN testing in Tasmania was being considered by state school parents in response to planned budget cuts to education.
Ms Eddington said the NAPLAN suggestions had strong support.
Taroona parents urged to drop pull students out of testing
Early in December, the Taroona School Association urged parents to remove their children from NAPLAN testing.
The association passed a motion encouraging parents to remove students from the national literacy and numeracy testing next year.
The action came after the Treasurer rejected calls from Tasmanian state school parents to renegotiate a pay freeze for teachers instead of cutting front line jobs.
Taroona Association's Stefan Stimson said parents were frustrated.
"There's a huge amount of support for this idea because obviously, like us they're very frustrated that we have to think outside the box because we're not being listened to by the people who were elected to represent us," he said.
"They're not representing us anymore and they're not listening to us anymore.
"It's not ideal and we'd much prefer to have an open dialogue with the various parties but we've tried that, we've tried writing to our elected members, we've tried writing to the Premier directly and also to the Treasurer and the Minister for Education.
"Unfortunately we're not being listened to and we've been told that the matter is closed and I think the phrase is 'the caravan has moved on' and they're not going back.''
Tasmanian Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the action would further affect students and would not have any impact on the Government's decision.
