Schools’ merger on agenda

PARENTS, students and residents were due to attend a public meeting last night (Wednesday) in Doveton to discuss the proposed amalgamation of three local schools into a $30 million education precinct.
As reported in the Star 26 May edition, Dandenong High School, Cleeland Secondary College and Doveton Secondary College have received Department of Education and Training funding to develop their plans for a shared education facility.
Another meeting is also scheduled for tonight (Thursday) at the Dandenong High School where the public will be informed of the plans and invited to ask questions and make suggestions.
Dandenong High School council president, Alan Collier, said the meetings held no set agenda but would enable the planning committee to consult with, and inform the public of, their current plans and progress.
“We can share with people what stage we are up to and answer any questions people may have,” Mr Collier said.
“It is a great opportunity for people to come along and have a say and have some input into these exciting plans.”
Mr Collier said the learning precinct would greatly enhance the educational opportunities for local students and would help provide a better and more diverse curriculum to students. He added that the initiative would also have strong links to Chisholm Institute of TAFE.
“Some of these schools cannot offer certain subjects because they do not have the numbers and only three or four students would be interested.
“But if the three schools joined together we would be able to increase the range of subjects and would end up with worldclass facilities,” he said.
Mr Collier said the proposal, still in its early stages, had met with little opposition and a vast majority of people had been positive.
“All three schools needed an upgrade that is how this whole idea came about.
“It would have taken years to get enough funding to upgrade each individual school or one school may have got the funds and the other two could have been left waiting,” he said. “This way everyone benefits and all three schools will have better facilities.”
He added that the proposal would eventually be formalised into a submission seeking further government funding and they hoped to have the project considered in the next state budget and operational by 2009.
The new facilities would be behind the old Dandenong High School site, next to Cleeland Secondary College. Tonight’s meeting (Thursday) starts at 7pm.