Advertisement
A public education is anything but free in Australia, with principals forced to rustle up extra income streams and parents forking out hundreds of dollars in school levies.
From sausage sizzles, corporate sponsorships and levies, state school and recruiting mums and dads to help fill the funding gap.
Parents are forking out on levies and giving up their time to help fundraise for their children’s education at state schools.
Credit:Virginia Star
In 2015, $1.8 billion flowed into public education in Australia from private income sources – an average of $752 for each student.
Dr Anna Hogan from the University of Queensland’s School of Education said the idea that state schools were “free” needed to be challenged, with some schools raising more than $2 million a year from private sources.