The Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs (the Standing Committee) and the Select Committee on Estimates (the Select Committee) conduct inquiries and prepare reports on issues relevant to operational and strategic functions of the Directorate.
The Standing Committee finalised and tabled Report 6: Report on Annual and Financial Reports 2009-2010 relating to the Directorate during 2010-11. The government response was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 20 September 2011. The ACT Government responses to the Committee reports are available at http://www.parliament.act.gov.au
The Select Committee presented its Report on Appropriation Bill 2011-2012 on 21 June 2011. The Directorate reported the government response in the Annual Report 2010-11. The Directorate implementation is reported in this section.
Report 6: Report on Annual and Financial Reports 2009-2010
Presented 5 May 2011
The ACT Government response to the Report on Annual and Financial Reports 2009-2010 was provided to the Assembly on 20 September 2011. The Directorate responded to five recommendations.
| Recommendation | Response | Implementation |
| 1. The Committee recommends that ACT directorates provide in the outlook section of their Annual Reports an indication of the advanced planning undertaken during the reporting period to meet the department's obligations as a part of any future ACT Government budgeting objectives such as the achievement of a stipulated percentage efficiency dividend. | Agreed | The Directorate reported the efficiency savings requirement identified in the 2010-11 Budget and the future agenda of the Directorate in Section A4 Outlook of the Annual Report 2010-11. |
| 2. The Committee recommends that the Directorate establish and circulate to all staff an efficiency dividend consultation plan which clearly sets out the stages of consultation and timelines for decision-making during future implementation periods. | Noted | An efficiency dividend plan was developed and circulated to all staff in 2011. Timelines clearly outlining the stages of consultation were included. Consultation plans will be developed for decision-making for future implementation periods. |
| 3. The Committee recommends that the Directorate report on the percentage of students with disabilities that proceed to post-school options. | Noted | Data on students with a disability who proceed to post-school options after leaving the ACT public school system is currently not recorded on the Directorate's destination survey. |
| 4. The Committee recommends that the Directorate review the performance reporting potential of strategic indicator 2 (Year 12 or equivalent attainment rate) and determine whether an alternative survey methodology can be developed at the local level to verify performance. | Noted | The Directorate replaced the indicator with two new strategic indicators from the 2010-11 financial year. The new indicators capture and compare the performance at both local and national levels. The new indicators are:
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| 5. The Committee recommends that the Directorate make clear the survey sample and methodology upon which any performance reporting has been based. | Agreed | All performance reporting in Section A8 Strategic indicators of the Annual Report 2010-11 of the Directorate provided brief yet comprehensive information on the survey sample and methodology. |
Select Committee on Estimates 2011-2012
Appropriation Bill 2011-2012
Presented 21 June 2011
The Select Committee's inquiry into Appropriation Bill 2011-2012 provided a report with 194 recommendations on a wide range of issues. The ACT Government response, which was tabled on 28 June 2011, agreed to 68 recommendations, agreed in principle to 18 recommendations, agreed in part to four recommendations, noted 78 recommendations and did not agree to 26 recommendations.
The Directorate had responsibility for eight recommendations. Details of the recommendations and their implementation are provided below. Details of the ACT Government's response to the recommendations for which other agencies have responsibility will appear in those agencies' annual reports.
| Recommendation | Response | Implementation |
| 114. The Committee recommends that the ACT Government advises whether existing Federal funding covers the full cost of NSW students who are educated in the ACT, and what negotiations with NSW have occurred. | Agreed | The ACT receives around $12 million for cross border students through the Commonwealth Grants Commission each year. In addition the Commonwealth Government provides per student funding based on enrolments through Specific Purpose Payments. The total funding does not meet the average cost of an ACT student. However, it meets the marginal cost of an additional student in the public school system. |
| 115. The Committee recommends that the ACT Government provide details of all initiatives to be included in the ACT Secondary Schools Innovation Fund and how it will determine priorities for funding the various elements. | Noted | The five successful recipients of the first round of the Secondary Schooling Innovation Fund for 2011, awarded on 8 December 2011, were:
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| 116. The Committee recommends that the ACT Government advise the Legislative Assembly of the timetable for the 'blueprint for action' in their response to the report. | Noted | The Directorate continued to provide feedback on the actions arising from the Excellence and Enterprise framework through the Quarterly Action Report (available on the Directorate's website) and regular meetings with the Excellence and Enterprise Steering Group and the Excellence and Enterprise Stakeholder Forum. |
| 117. The Committee recommends that the ACT Government consider including teacher subject area specialities on the teachers register established under the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010. | Noted | Teacher specialities are already included in the data collection for the registration process. Under the provisions of the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Act 2010 information provided through the teachers' register can only disclose whether the person holds full or provisional registration or a permit to teach. Additional information including subject specialities can be provided to employers on request. |
| 118. The Committee recommends that, to respond to the shortage of qualified maths and science teachers within the ACT public education system, the ACT Government bring forward the introduction of the Teach Next initiative so that public school maths and science students are not disadvantaged by teacher shortages. | Noted | The Directorate has adopted both the Teach for Australia and Teach Next programs. Teach Next applicants will commence in schools from day 1, term 3, 2012. The total number of candidates in both programs is 14 of whom seven (50%) have either or both mathematics and science as the learning specialisation in their teaching load. |
| 119. The Committee recommends that the ACT Government provide further details of how the $11.8 million allocation for "educational reform and provision of enhanced career paths for teachers" is to be allocated. | Agreed | The teachers' enterprise agreement was finalised in 2011-12. The agreement funds the new Executive Teacher Professional Practice classification and targets the deputy principal as the first step in the principal classification. The agreement also supports accelerated progression through the salary scales for outstanding classroom teachers. |
| 120. The Committee recommends that the Directorate partner with Tourism, Sport and Recreation to ensure better provision of continuing sports programs in schools for students with disabilities. | Agreed | The Directorate partners successfully with ACT Tourism, Sport and Recreation, the ACT School Sport Council and actsport to provide events for Athletes with a Disability (AWD) in our schools. These events include:
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| 121. The Committee recommends that, when the Bradley review is completed, it be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on the next available sitting day. | Noted | The Report on Options for Future Collaborations of Canberra Institute of Technology and University of Canberra was released on 3 August 2011. |
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