Abbott targets education policy

Teachers, technology and trade training are targeted under a series of education
policies unveiled by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, but one union has already
criticised the spending as robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Mr Abbott, campaigning in Victoria on Friday, said a coalition government would
establish a $200 million reward fund to recognise and reward the "best and
brightest" teachers.
Every Australian school would be able to apply for money from the fund but
preference would be given to teachers in disadvantaged schools, who were working in
regional areas or had special-needs students.
Mr Abbott said an independent board would decide which teachers deserved a bonus,
and how much it would be, based on the recommendations of school principals.
Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said the fund would start in 2013, a
year earlier than Labor's equivalent scheme.
If the board decided every outstanding teacher should receive the same amount, those
teachers would get between about $6000 and $6500 a year.
"They might well decide to pay less for some teachers and more for others, depending
on how they determine the best-quality teachers in a particular year," Mr Pyne told
reporters at Nunawading Christian College, east of Melbourne.
Mr Abbott, who has vowed to axe Labor's computers in schools program if the
coalition wins government, then promised $120 million for a school technology fund
to give schools money for computers.
The opposition leader said grants of up to $50,000 would be paid directly to schools
and they would be able to choose what technology they wanted to buy with the cash.
"This is about the technology that schools need, it's not simply saying to schools,
`you will get computers whether you like them or not'," he said.
The Australian Education Union said the new plans failed to offset the $3.1 billion
the coalition would save by cutting education programs established under Labor.
"There would still be a shortfall of almost $2 billion in education under the
coalition," federal president Angelo Gavrielatos said.
"Instead of all students getting computers, tens of thousands would miss out under
the coalition, which would spend $120 million compared to the $700 million still to
be spent by Labor."
The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) called on Mr Abbott to reveal
the details of his teacher reward scheme, because it was not clear what criteria
would be used to measure performance, or whether primary and secondary staff would
get the same bonuses.
"These are critical details and APPA is disappointed that the coalition's policy is
not more developed on these important points," president Leonie Trimper said.
Finally, Mr Abbott went back to the future with his pledge to reintroduce Australian
technical colleges, a Howard government scheme terminated by Labor after the 2007
election in favour of trade training centres in high schools.
A national network of 30 technical colleges would be created over the next four
years, at a cost of $740 million.
"We have serious skill shortages in this country and unfortunately they have not
been well addressed by the Rudd-Gillard government over the last three years," Mr
Abbott said in the marginal seat of Corangamite in southern Victoria.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard countered with her own $334 million trade training
announcement, under which apprentices would receive an extra $1700 to support them
as they learn.
"An additional 50,000 apprentices are expected to start and stick with their
apprenticeship as a result of our apprentice income bonus," she said at Blacktown
RSL Club in Sydney's west.
A $20 million mentoring program for up to 40,000 apprentices would be developed
under Labor too.