Noble Park’s Carwatha P-12 College may cut other programs to continue offering VCAL because of a State Government funding cut. Principal Bronwyn Hamilton discusses the issue with State Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews on Monday.
By Nicole Williams
A NOBLE Park Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) provider fears it will have to cut other programs to continue offering the VCAL, due to a $12 million funding cut by the Victorian Government.
Carwatha P-12 College principal Bronwyn Hamilton said the school may have to cut literacy or numeracy programs within the school to cover the losses but it was dedicated to the VCAL program because the community needed it.
“I can’t imagine us ever not running it because we believe in it and because our community needs us to run it,” Ms Hamilton said.
“But we’ll have to make some other decisions.”
“We have to do all those things that we have been doing (with VCAL) so we’ll have to cut something else. That’s the reality.”
The school received $27,000 in government funding this year and was expected to receive $39,000 next year for the 34 students enrolled.
James Martin, a spokesman for Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall, said the funding cut, announced three weeks ago, brought VCAL into line with the VCE where there is no specific co-ordination funding.
The funding was used to establish the VCAL program in 2003 and had continued annually to allow VCAL teachers time to co-ordinate the program.
Mr Martin said there should be no impact on the future of VCAL programs in schools.
“The changes in funding should not impact on teachers’ jobs and should have no impact on students undertaking VCAL,” he said.
“The department will continue to monitor the changes.”
But Ms Hamilton said the school adjusted the program each year for the student’s requirements and it still needed a lot of time and co-ordination.
“The VCAL students are staying in school because it means something to them – they do a range of activities,” she said.
“You link it to the workplace they might be in so that means changing the curriculum all the time. The teachers who teach VCAL meet regularly to rework and replan.”
State Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said the decision would have a direct impact on the program’s students.
“They don’t win out of this,” Mr Andrews said.
“If you (Carwatha College) are able to keep it going but cut literacy programs or something else very valuable – that doesn’t make sense.”
