Students from Orbost Secondary College, Cann River P-12 College, Mallacoota P-12 College, and Swifts Creek P-12 School will have greater choice in VCE subjects thanks to a $1.2 million dollar investment by the State Government.
Minister for Education, James Merlino, last week announced the VCE Collaboration Fund round two partnerships for the four East Gippsland schools, along with 24 other rural and regional schools across the state.
The $1.2 million VCE Collaboration Fund is part of a $22.6 million investment to give regional and rural students access to the full range of VCE subjects.
The fund supports regional and rural schools to partner with each other to broaden the subject choice and quality of VCE offerings.
“Country students should have the same opportunities as those in the city, so we’re giving them greater choice of VCE subjects that appeal to their interests, strengths and career aspirations,” Mr Merlino said.
School partnerships can apply for up to $40,000 in funding, with funding for master classes for VCE subjects, after-school study groups, video conferencing facilities and professional learning for teachers.
The fund will support around 100 schools over four years to give regional VCE students greater choice in what they can study. Funding is available to support partnerships between schools from all sectors where at least one school is a government school in a regional or rural area.
The fund is being delivered alongside a major expansion of VCE subjects offered through the virtual learning programs of Virtual School Victoria and the Victorian School of Languages, and through a new ‘blended learning’ pilot through Victorian Virtual Learning Network.
In September the State Government announced an initial package of $82.8 million in funding to support recommendations from the Expert Advisory Panel into Rural and Regional Students.
This funding will address teacher supply issues outside Melbourne by attracting teachers and school leaders to state schools in rural and regional Victoria and supporting them to stay.
It will also enable rural and regional students to attend VCE revision lectures and will expand professional development for teachers and leaders in rural and regional areas.
“Where you live should not determine the quality of your education, we are supporting regional and rural VCE students by providing the same quality and choice of VCE subjects that someone in the inner city would get,” Mr Merlino said.
