Member for Rodney, Paul Weller has announced major education funding for Nathalia’s two secondary schools, through the Victorian Coalition Government’s Local Solutions Year 12 Retention Fund.
The Nathalia Secondary College and St Mary’s of the Angels College have both received grants for programs that aim to improve the retention rate of all rural secondary students across the Rodney Electorate and the state.
“Research shows that nearly a third of country secondary students leave school before they complete Year 12 compared with their metropolitan counterparts, where almost nine out of 10 students finish their schooling,” Mr Weller said.
The student retention rate in metropolitan Melbourne increased from 85 per cent to 87.7 per cent between 2002 and 2010 while the rate for regional and rural students decreased from 71 per cent to 68.5 per cent.
“I am a strong advocate for supporting our secondary students if they wish to remain at school all the way through to Year 12 and even those students who plan to take on the responsibilities of a family farm business can greatly benefit from completing their schooling, Mr Weller said.
The first of the two grants will deliver $57,000 in funds to be utilised by both schools through a joint initiative called Passion to Learn and Strive (PLS).
As program partners, both schools will benefit from the PLS initiative that focuses on improving student motivation, heightening aspirations and improving skills and enhancing education prospects.
Through the program, students from both schools will be exposed to new educational pathways, establish mentor relationships and attend camps and excursions.
In addition to the PLS initiative, St Mary’s of the Angel’s Secondary College has been awarded a grant of $55,000 to fund pilot programs through the Diverse Pathways for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) initiative.
The initiative has been made available through the Communities of Practice program and aims to assist teachers of adolescents with an ASD to meet student’s needs and aspirations.
The program ultimately aims to support students to successfully complete their secondary schooling.
In announcing the funding for both initiatives, Mr Weller praised the Local Solutions Year 12 Retention Fund as it encourages and supports government, catholic and independent secondary schools in regional and rural Victoria to introduce innovative programs that support students to complete their schooling.
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