1985 School Magazine

During the past 12 months we have all noticed the concern of the Queensland Teach ers' Union, whose members are troubled by the increasing time spent in keeping basic order within the classroom. We have also noticed the concern of the Australian Teachers ' Federation over the increasing enrolments at non-Government schools and the support that is given by governments to such schools. Other concerns have been expressed by employers who feel that many young peopl e lack basic skills that would allow them to cope far better with adult life and employment than appears presently possible. Instead of addressing th ese serious allegations, however, some people involved in educational dec ision-making are trying to change schools from their primary responsibility of schooling into vocational or pre-vocational institutions. I cannot support these moves as any system th at allows for only a small percentage of our students to continu e with further ed ucation at tertiary level and destines the rest for labour, limits the deve lopment of our nation . There should be a uniform quality in all our schools and to ensu re that this occurs, any changes that are mooted at State o r National leve l should onl y be made after long and carefu l eva luation of the present ed ucational system, and then in the context of its histor ica l development. Some of the present proposals appear to be going agai nst the proper historical emphasis on comprehens ive education and against unity in our educational system. The above concerns are not unique to Australia, and in a recent report from America , ca ll ed the "Paideia Report", a group of eminent educators stress the need for educational reform so that it w il l all ow all children , not just the same amou nt of time in school , but with no exceptions, the same quality of education. The report accepts that everyone is unique, but that children are all the same in their human nature and that individual differences are always on ly differences in degree, never differences in kind . It states "the innermost meaning of social equa lity is substantially the same qua li ty of life for all. That ca ll s for the same quality of schooling for all." This school has always tried to provide a quality education for those attending and has never condoned the watering down of programmes to be less academically rigid. The embarrassingly large number of peop le wishing to enter the · school , and who wi ll never have the opportunity to do so, indicates there is a demand for the type of education the school provides. Yet I believe it is an indictment on our society that this type of educat ion is not avai lab le to al l, irrespective of the school they attend. Robert Maynard Hutchins stated a fundamental principle which I fu lly support and which I urge all those present today to support and work towards: "The best education for the best is the best education for all". It has been an interesting and challenging year and it would be remiss of me if I did not thank the entire school community for its support through some difficult times. The contributions that the Board of Trustees, the staff, the parents, the friends, the Old Girls and the students make to the school each year, makes it what it is. I hope that those leaving today can carry with them something of the ideals of this school which have always included the rights of students attending to equality of opportunity and that you can look back on your school days as being one happy worthwhile step in your education as people. 6

I have enjoyed working with the two Head Girls, Christine Farmer and Ann Harrap and with the Head Boarder, Eli zabeth Kennedy and indeed with all girls in Year 12. I believe that during the year we have all learnt to understand each other a little better and because of that have been able to discuss issues that at times have been contentious. Good luck to you all in the future and I look forward to welcoming many of you back to th e school in any capacity in which you feel you can make some contribution to the education of those coming after you.

judith A. Hancock Princ ipal November 23, 1984