LNP Leader Deb Frecklington has announced an LNP Plan to give Queensland children the best start to their schooling.
"Our hardworking teachers and principals deserve to have the best resources to teach our children, improve standards and give our kids the best chance to get a job in an increasingly competitive market," Ms Frecklington said.
"Education is a major priority for me and my team because we know that an investment in education is an investment in the future of our children and grandchildren.
"Sadly at the moment, our children’s future is being put at risk by a Premier who likes to talk about education, but is all talk and no action.
"Which is why, if I were Premier I would overturn Labor’s decision to exclude English in results of senior assessments.
"Labor’s decision to scrap English as a mandatory subject for ATAR diminishes the importance of the subject.
"We want our kids to be the smartest in the nation and scrapping English sends the wrong message to our kids and teachers.
"The LNP won’t treat English as a third-rate subject and we will include English as a mandatory subject in senior assessments."
Ms Frecklington said a major focus of the LNP’s education plan was to boost NAPLAN standards across Queensland through decluttering the curriculum.
"The latest NAPLAN results show that Queensland is falling behind other states in the fundamental areas of reading, writing and numeracy," Ms Frecklington said.
"This is why the LNP has committed to decluttering the curriculum to ensure there is a greater focus on teaching language, literacy and numeracy.
"As a mother of three teenage girls, I know reading and writing are two of the basic skills our kids need to get a job and succeed in life.
"We know our teachers work extremely hard to teach our kids but having a crowded curriculum puts them under a lot of pressure and often unable to focus on the basics.
"We’ve heard from teachers that they are worried students are going to be left behind under the current curriculum which is why we want to work with teachers, parents and principals to develop a Queensland guideline that gets back to basics.
"The LNP understand we need to support our teachers, parents and principals to focus on the basics of reading, writing and numeracy and to give our kids the best chance to succeed."
LNP Shadow Education Minister Jarrod Bleijie said while Labor was focused on cutting Independent Public Schools (IPS), the LNP would support school communities and continue the roll-out of IPS.
"IPS give principals, teachers and parents a say in their children’s education, but are destined for the scrapheap under Labor," Mr Bleijie said.
"Under the former LNP Government, 250 IPS have commenced across Queensland, but the program has stalled under Labor.
"We recognise that a one-size fits all approach to education simply does not work and research shows that more autonomy improves school performance and student outcomes.
"Unlike Labor, the LNP will take the pressure off our kids and teachers by decluttering the curriculum and getting back to basics.
"We’ve heard that one of the key issues in schools is teachers are trying to get through too much content and kids don’t have enough time to understand key concepts before the teacher has to move on.
"This is all part of our plan to support local decision-making and provide Queensland mums and dads with more choice.
"Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor have no idea when it comes to Queensland schools."
