Scores of protestors turned out on Sunday. 73053 Picture: EMILY LANE
By Charlene Gatt
FOOTSCRAY City Primary School parents have called for State Education Minister Martin Dixon to see how the dual stream of schooling works with his own eyes.
The school community banded together in front of the Ministry of Education on Sunday, with more than 100 Steiner and non-Steiner families protesting the Government’s decision to axe the Steiner stream of learning at the school.
Footscray City Primary School parents and students have been steadily mounting a campaign since the State Government announced its intention to axe the Steiner stream of learning at the school nearly two weeks ago.
“There has been a huge response and the community is mobilising across Victoria and beyond,” school council president and Steiner parent Tim Sharkey said.
Fellow parent Amelia Bartak added: “We’ve only really got a week or two to get change.”
The stream is set to cease at the end of the school year, with parents given a list of other schools they can enrol their children in.
The nearest Steiner school is based in Collingwood, with others in Thornbury, East Bentleigh and Mornington.
As part of the changes the State Government also appointed a new school principal, Steve Warner, to take over from acting principal Mick Guileri.
More than 1000 people have signed an online petition requesting the State Government reverse its decision.
Parents are also seeking legal action because they believe there has been no due process or consultation followed in making the decision to axe the Steiner stream.
“We just don’t understand why they’ve done it,” Kim Schearman, whose daughter Maxine goes to the school under the mainstream program, said.
“We’ve loved having Steiner at the school, there’s a strong music and arts program which we have never had (in a mainstream school).”
Many parents, like Jane Hutchins, believe the change is a conspiracy to make the school unviable so that the land can be used for something else.
Footscray City Primary School has around 280 students, with around half enrolled under the Steiner stream.
Under the Steiner stream, children are not taught to read and write until they are seven and are discouraged from using computers and watching TV.
Footscray City Primary School implemented the stream in 2001.
