School funding crisis

Advocacy groups, parents, teachers and principals are concerned that children with disabilities are not being adequately supported to attend and participate fully in their local state school with some children being sent home due to a lack of teacher aid resources.

This situation is distressing for parents who want their children to attend a mainstream school and for the children who are missing out on activities that their ‘able bodied’ peers participate in.

IHC has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against government policies and practices that prevent disabled students participating fully at their local school.

The complaint, lodged on 31 July 2008, is aimed at government policy that is discriminatory because it puts up barriers to students with disabilities learning alongside their peers at their local mainstream school.

IHC invites you to participate in this complaint action. They will continue to collect evidence from parents, schools, community organisations and those working in the education sector for at least the remainder of 2008.

CCS Disability Action supports IHC’s complaint to the Human Rights Commission that Government policies and practices prevent disabled students participating fully at their local school.

“The current system remains one of the biggest barriers for disabled students being included in their local community and it’s something that needs urgently addressing,” says CCS Disability Action CEO Viv Maidaborn.

Abi Thomas from the Northern Advocate spoke to Tai Tokerau Principals’ Association president Pat Newman about his concerns. 

Pat Newman says Northland is losing out because support funding is population-based rather than needs-based.

“We are literally in a crisis situation here,” he said.