Birrigai Outdoor School offers a special experience for school students. Labor wants no public school child to miss out. Photo: ACT Education Directorate.
Every ACT public primary school student will be able to experience a free school camp under an ACT Labor election promise.
A re-elected Labor Government will fund one grade level at every public primary school to go on camp at Birrigai Outdoor School.
Labor says this will save Canberra families hundreds of dollars and give their children a once-in-a-lifetime educational experience.
Each school will be asked to nominate its camp year based on the needs of their students, teachers and parents.
As students progress through the school, they will benefit from the free year, to be rolled out from 2025.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said school camps were a really important part of every primary school student’s educational journey, but the government had noticed that some children were missing out.
“The idea is that every primary school student in an ACT public school will get access to a free school camp,” he said.
The measure would cost $900,000 a year or $3.6 million over the four-year term, with costs indexed over the forward estimates to reflect inflation and increased costs.
“We think it’s an important measure that will support access participation and equity within our primary school system,” he said.
Education Minister Yvette Berry said the measure would save families about $400 for a two-night camp at Birrigai.
Ms Berry said the school could choose from Years 3 to 6 and then stick with that year throughout the four years of the program.
“We’ve been hearing from some school communities that they’ve been opting out of school camps because they believe some families can’t afford it,” she said.
“No child should miss out on that long-lasting memory of a school camp and how it brings those students together.”
Ms Berry said Birrigai, with its significant Ngunnawal language and land learning program on country, provided a really special educational experience to young people.
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