The ACT government has increased its accountability to the public when it assesses new non-government schools following widespread community anger about the way in which two Christian schools were approved with minimal public consultation late last year.
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Minister for Education Joy Burch has initiated a departmental review of arrangements for approving and registering new private schools after a joint request by the Australian Education Union, the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations and Save Our Schools.
The three education groups have roundly condemned the processes by which Ms Burch signed off year on the Brindabella Christian College establishing a second campus in Charnwood and the Canberra Christian School starting a second campus in the new suburb of Molonglo.
The approvals only became public in May.
At issue is the low demonstrated demand for the two schools.
Ms Burch said she had made ''a number of changes to practices relating to communication around in-principle approval and registration of non-government schools''.
''Community members may now request an electronic copy of approval and registration applications and decisions relating to these processes will now be published on the Directorate [of Education's] website,'' Ms Burch said.
She wrote to the Australian Education Union about its concerns, saying she was ''interested in stakeholders' views about these changes and the overall approval and registration process and have therefore invited other interested groups to provide feedback''.
But Save Our Schools and the P&C council were not officially told about the review and have not been invited to submit their concerns.
Save Our Schools convener Trevor Cobbold said he welcomed Ms Burch's decision to conduct a review.
''But we call on her to publicly announce the review, provide details on how it is to be conducted, invite public submissions and to commit to publishing a report on the review,'' Mr Cobbold said.
''Without these provisions, the review looks like it will be a charade.''
He noted there was nothing about the review on the Directorate of Education website despite Ms Burch's spokesman confirming submissions were required before the end of the month.
P&C president Vivienne Pearce said the issue of how non-government schools were given approval to set up in the ACT was of huge concern to P&C members and it appeared the changes made so far were ''cosmetic''.
Ms Pearce said the council was not aware of the call for submissions and had not been contacted by the minister's office.
''This whole issue has been handled very badly,'' she said.
She did welcome electronic notification of approval and registration applications and decisions.
She said that in regard to a response to the recent Christian school applications, she had been forced to spend hours taking handwritten notes from directorate records in order to make a submission as photocopying applications was not allowed.
''It's a step forward at least,'' Ms Pearce said.
''Ultimately, we believe the approval of new schools is a planning issue which uses public money, and it should not be dealt with differently to other planning issues which are far more open and accountable.''
