PASTORAL LETTER ON CATHOLIC EDUCATION - 200 YEARS YOUNG 

The Catholic Bishops have written a pastoral letter to school leaders, staff, students and families to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in Australia which will be launched on Thursday 18th February 2021 at 10am (AEDT).

The letter, 200 Years Young, recognises the contribution of religious, clergy and lay people to the foundation of Catholic education, and the distinctive role Catholic schools play in educating and forming young people of faith and service in their communities.  Read media release

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The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has appointed Sally Egan to the role of Deputy Director commencing Thursday 28 January 2021.

Executive Director Jacinta Collins, who announced the appointment today, said Sally comes to the NCEC with 30 years’ broad-ranging experience across all sectors of schooling, most recently in executive leadership roles within the NSW Department of Education.

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The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is looking forward to working with the new Minister for Education and Youth, Alan Tudge MP, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison today, and thanks outgoing Minister Dan Tehan MP for his work in the education portfolio.

NCEC executive director Jacinta Collins said the Catholic sector has had a productive working relationship with Minister Tehan over the past few years.

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This Friday is World Teachers Day and Catholic Education is hosting its first Virtual Symposium on school improvement and supporting disadvantaged students in a COVID world.

Around 1,000 educators across Australia are expected to join the three-hour symposium, as well as participants from New Zealand and overseas.

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The establishment of a not-for-profit company to oversee Melbourne’s 293 Catholic schools responds to the needs of the future, says National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins.

“The decision by Archbishop Peter Comensoli to restructure the management of Melbourne’s Catholic schools is in line with the direction of other Catholic dioceses and state bodies across the country,” Ms Collins said.

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The Faith in the Future Virtual Symposium will be held on Friday 30 October 2020 11:30am-2:30pm (AEDT).

“With the 2020 National Catholic Education Conference postponed until 4-7 September 2022, the virtual symposium offers an opportunity for the Catholic educational community to gather and participate in professional learning and engagement,” said National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins.

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The ABC’s ‘analysis’ of Catholic school funding published online today is simplistic and inaccurate, the National Catholic Education executive director Jacinta Collins says.

“Despite the sophisticated-looking graphics, the ABC’s analysis doesn’t grasp the complexity of the funding model for non-government schools, and grossly misinterprets the way Catholic schools in New South Wales distribute funding.

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Catholic Education supports the Federal Government’s decision to reform Australia’s copyright laws to ensure teachers and parents are not involved in copyright infringement when they provide remote learning for students.

National Catholic Education Executive Director Jacinta Collins said Australia’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 emergency, including the need to provide remote learning for students, has shone a spotlight on a number of problems with Australia’s outdated copyright laws.

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Catholic Education has welcomed the Church’s decision to consolidate its professional standards response under a new national office.

National Executive Director Jacinta Collins said the creation of a single entity would help provide streamlined support to Catholic schools, parishes and agencies in their work of keeping children and vulnerable adults safe.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement to expand the Exceptional Circumstance Supplementary Payment to support early childhood education and care services that are not eligible for the JobKeeper payment.

The supplementary payment applies to eligible early childhood and care services associated with non-government schools, that have experienced increased demand, were not operating during the reference period, or have seen a significant decrease in attendance from the 6 April.

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The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) welcomes the appointment of Jim Miles as Executive Director of Catholic Education Melbourne (CEM), by the Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli today.

National Catholic Education Executive Director Jacinta Collins congratulated Mr Miles saying she looked forward to continuing to work with him.

“Jim is currently the acting Executive Director for Catholic Education Melbourne - which is the largest Catholic school system in Australia - and has been an NCEC commissioner as part of that role,” Ms Collins said.

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The National Catholic Education Commission has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement today of an additional $10 million to improve COVID-19 hygiene measures in non-government schools.

National Catholic Education Executive Director Jacinta Collins said the additional funding will be welcomed by school communities who are spending significantly more of their operational budgets on stronger hygiene and cleaning protocols.

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The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) has commissioned the Australian Catholic University’s (ACU’s) La Salle Academy to review the effectiveness of the Framework for Formation for Mission in Catholic Education.

The national framework, published in 2017, was developed as a resource for school leaders and school governance bodies with responsibility for the faith formation of staff in Catholic schools, to support the evaluation of their current practices and provide a strategic context for the enhancement of their formation programs.

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The Catholic education sector has welcomed the National Principles for School Education response to COVID-19 agreed at the National Cabinet today.

National Catholic Education Commission Executive Director, Jacinta Collins, said the National Principles reiterate the commitment of federal, state and territory governments for the continuation of quality schooling for Australian children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The National Principles show a continued commitment by governments to ensure Australian students receive a high quality education, while allowing for the delivery of remote schooling as needed during the pandemic,” Ms Collins said.

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Catholic education has welcomed the Australian Government’s JobKeeper wage subsidies to support families facing job losses and stand downs. However, the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) is concerned the support does not work for essential services such as low fee schools.

NCEC Executive Director Jacinta Collins said under the current arrangement high fee private schools will access federal wage subsidies to retain crucial staff, but low fee non-government schools will be left out.

“A business approach to schools simply won’t work,” said Ms Collins. “High fee Independent schools will be assessed as losing more income because they are starting from a much higher base.” 

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