Literacy and numeracy standards in schools will be boosted, with a multi-million dollar funding injection from the Federal Government.
It was back to school for the Prime Minister and Education Minister Julia Gillard today, as they visited the students and staff of Canberra's Gordon Primary School.
The pair used the opportunity to commit $40 million, towards literacy and numeracy pilot projects for eligible private and public schools around Australia.
“This is money that has been targeted to those schools that face particular challenges,” she said.
Mr Rudd was taking a harder line, however, warning teachers' unions they cannot expect a blank cheque and suggesting it is time they arrived in the 21st century.
Mr Rudd yesterday pledged to establish new standards to reward school principals and the best performing teachers, and to fund teacher recruitment, development and excellence.
Teachers' unions have been highly critical of the government's move to impose new standards on teacher performance, and of government funding for education.
But Mr Rudd dismissed the criticism, and urged teachers to work with the government.
"You know what I would say to our friends in the teachers' unions across Australia - and many of them are fantastic people - is that it's time to arrive in the 21st century," Mr Rudd told reporters in Canberra today.
"That is, let's get past the name calling, let's get past all this pointless debate blaming someone here or blaming someone there."
Mr Rudd said schools needed to get on with lifting standards across Australia and providing the funding needed to do it.
"Presumably what some of our friends in the trade unions would like us to do is just hand over a blank cheque," he said.
"Well guess what? I am not going to do that."
Mr Rudd was speaking at the launch of an initiative to boost literacy and numeracy for this year's national literacy and numeracy week.
Under the initiative, the government will invest $40.2 million in 29 pilot literacy and numeracy improvement programs in schools across Australia.
