Published on Friday, 12 January 2018 at 12:00:00 AM
The Town of Port Hedland has welcomed the State Government’s announcement to reverse some of its education cuts revealed last month, including the closure of School of the Air.
The proposed cuts were immediately met with public backlash, resulting in significant lobbying from regional communities all over Western Australia, including Port Hedland.
Town of Port Hedland Mayor Camilo Blanco applauded the decision to reverse the cuts, in particular School of the Air, which forms a central part of remote education across the broader Pilbara region.
“This is an essential service in remote communities like ours that has been running for over 50 years,” Mayor Blanco explained.
“School of the Air is the only way for some of our kids to receive an education, and to take that away would have been a huge mistake,” he said.
“Access to quality education and social interaction for children living in isolated communities is vital,"
“The decision shows how important it is for communities to band together and fight for what they need.”
Other areas included to be kept as a result of the reversal are the gifted and talented program, level three teachers program freeze and the closure of Northam Residential College.
The Port Hedland School of the Air has provided educational services to children living in remote and isolated locations in the Pilbara region since 1964.
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