The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today welcomed the release of the Building the Education Revolution National Coordinator’s Implementation Report, on progress in the first eight months.
The Building the Education Revolution (BER) program is a key element of the Rudd Government’s $42 billion Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan.
The report shows that the BER is supporting Australian jobs through the rapid construction and refurbishment of the infrastructure our schools need for the long term.
The National Coordinator’s Implementation Report covers the establishment of the BER, including the assessment and approval of education authorities’ project applications from February to September 2009.
The National Coordinator’s Implementation Report shows that the Program is on target, with 24 382 projects approved for 9 526 schools across Australia.
A survey conducted by the Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) found that 85 per cent of primary school principals strongly supported the Building the Education Revolution. This survey reflects the overwhelming feedback the Government has received from principals and school communities around the nation.
The National Coordinator’s Implementation Report confirms that there have been 55 complaints out of 25 489 applications and 24 382 projects funded. This amounts to 0.22 per cent of applications and 0.23 per cent of projects funded.
In relation to the Primary Schools for the 21st Century (P21) element of the BER, the report reveals that 77 per cent of schools received their full notional funding allocation, 14 per cent received over their full allocation and 9 per cent received under the full notional funding allocation.
The BER Guidelines allows for variations to funding amounts only with the agreement of the school involved. These figures demonstrate the flexibility that was built into the P21 element of the BER to ensure the program’s effective and efficient delivery.
The report also confirms that just over $61 million remains uncommitted following all of the distribution rounds and will be returned to consolidated revenue.
This report shows that the BER is supporting jobs in every local community during the days of the global recession while building Australia’s education capacity for the future.
The report and additional BER information is available at: www.buildingtheeducationrevolution.gov.au