MAY 17, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Dinjerra Primary council members Rayna Fahey and Hina Hussian are among those fighting for funding for the Braybrook school. (Damjan Janevski)
School kids ‘left behind’ A Braybrook school is fighting to reverse a state government decision to not allocate an anticipated $7 million in redevelopment funding. The school community of Dinjerra Primary on South Road has started an online petition to lobby Education Minister James Merlino to reconsider funding for the school in its 2017-18 budget. School council chair Magz Tunui said the news was “a huge blow” to the school – the only
one to service the Braybrook, Tottenham and Maidstone communities. “We’re really upset about it,” Ms Tunui said. “The other state primary schools in this area are extremely overcrowded. “We have the space to accommodate a rising local population, yet we don’t have the buildings required to deliver a modern education … this is drastically limiting our ability to meet the needs of our community. “Dinjerra faces significant challenges due to the diverse make-up of our school population. Our students overwhelmingly come from poor
socioeconomic households and English levels are far below the state average. “To put it bluntly, our kids already start on the back foot … this latest announcement means that our students are being left behind by this government.” Ms Tunui said two buildings on site were built in the 1960s and were designed to last 20 years. These buildings need to be demolished and replaced. The school received state funding last year to plan the works. “With no indication of certainty as to if and when the funding will come through, this is
a devastating blow to our school,” Ms Tunui said. The work on the redevelopment was due to start later this year and be finished by the end of next year. The rebuild would lift student capacity to a total of 450. In response, Mr Merlino acknowledged that Dinjerra required funding, but did not make any funding commitments to the school. “Over 1000 building projects are being rolled out across the state and we will continue to upgrade as many schools as possible,” Mr Merlino said.
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By Stella Tzobanakis