The Minister for Education has announced an injection of funds for all Queensland state schools so they can add updated and improved respectful relationships to their education.
Saying the almost $15 million injection was part of this year’s national record $16.5 billion education budget, Minister, Grace Grace, said Queensland was leading the nation when it came to respectful relationship education.
“I’m proud to say Queensland has led the way on this with the first age-appropriate respectful relationships education program introduced into Queensland schools back in 2017,” Ms Grace said.
“In March 2021 I instigated a comprehensive review to make sure we were delivering the best resources and materials to our schools,” she said
“We consulted more than 180 stakeholders including subject matter experts, parents, teachers, principals, and most importantly, students themselves, and I’m looking forward to the new program being launched soon.”
She said the money in this year’s budget would pay for advisor roles and professional development for teachers.
“Having the materials is great, but we want to support teachers and schools in delivering this as effectively as possible,” Ms Grace said.
“The funding will support eight principal advisor roles, one in each region and one in central office, to provide tailored professional development for our schools and teachers to ensure they are prepared to deliver what is at times challenging and sensitive topics.”
She said every state school in Queensland will also be able to provide teachers and staff with time to access appropriate professional development and curriculum planning.
“This is all about building teacher capability – and it’s based on a fundamental notion of respect for our teachers and the job they do,” Ms Grace said.
The Minister for Justice, Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Shannon Fentiman said the important initiative is part of the Government’s response to the Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce.
“The respectful relationships education initiative is critical, as we strive to help students build safe, supportive and respectful relationships,” Ms Fentiman said.
“Teaching positive behaviours and skills from a young age will assist with combatting issues such as gender inequality and family and domestic violence.”
Ms Grace said the Budget also had a $13.3 million allocation for every state school to receive a Dignity Vending Machine which supplies free period products to students.
