Tasmanian Labor opposition proposes policy to extend kindergarten to five-day week

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Labor has unveiled a policy to extend Tasmanian kindergartens to five days a week in a bid to boost the state's education outcomes. The government's response has been non-committal. It's also facing heat from the union over its multi-school organisation trial.

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00:02Labor's hoping its latest policy will make waves in Tasmanian schools, announcing it

00:07wants kindergarten extended to five days a week.

00:10So this is a very serious social policy to deliver better education outcomes, but it's

00:16also a very serious economic policy to increase workforce participation.

00:21Tasmania's public schools offer around two and a half days of non-compulsory kindergarten

00:25a week for children in the year they turn five.

00:28There's also a lot of evidence that says that kids who do go to kinder full time do better

00:37by the time they reach grade three.

00:39Labor says the extra two days of schooling would be optional for families and would cost

00:44the state $15 million, not including any capital upgrades to schools.

00:48The Education Minister is neither endorsing the idea nor shutting it down.

00:52Once we see the costings, the timeline for this policy, importantly the evidence that

00:59sits behind this, we would be happy to reconsider.

01:02Meanwhile, the Education Union has surveyed principals on the state government's trial of multi-school

01:07organisations where groups of public schools share resources and leadership teams.

01:12The survey results were overwhelmingly scathing.

01:14They are clearly stating that they've lost faith in the Minister Joe Palmer, they've lost faith

01:20in the Department of Education, particularly around transparency and the rollout of multi-school

01:25organisations.

01:26Ms Palmer has defended the proposal, saying the principals involved in the trial are supportive.

01:31Joe Palmer is facing the polls in May when the upper house elections for Rosevears and Huon

01:37are held.

01:38Labor's decision to launch a potentially popular education policy just months out could be tricky

01:44for Ms Palmer to navigate as she fights to win a second term.

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