AN education strategy published by the Canberra Liberals yesterday (June 17) is calling for an independent review into the ACT school system.

The strategy, titled “Brining out the Best in every child” details how school children have fallen behind the rest of the country in critical education milestones especially literacy, numeracy, and science.

Shadow education minister Jeremy Hanson, who released the strategy, said: “These failings have been consistently reported by many highly regarded research institutions and assessment processes in the ACT, nationally and internationally.

“I am disappointed by the ongoing reports of overcrowding and the unresolved issues of deteriorating and potentially dangerous infrastructure in our schools. Reports of bullying and violence have also compromised school culture and remain a major concern for many Canberra families.”

The strategy outlines improvements that are needed across the key areas of academic standards, equity, bullying and violence, school funding, and overcrowded schools with ageing infrastructure.

“Our analysis has shown that school governance and funding are sub-optimal and have declined in the past decade,” he said.

“The current ACT government talks a lot about equity, but our school system lacks genuine equity for many students, and many are missing out on a quality education.”