• ← Back to Blog Posts

The Northern Territory’s school system faces the most challenging geographical and socio-economic circumstances in Australia. At current, almost 70% of the Territory’s schools are locate in remote or very remote regions, with 27% of those having fewer than 50 students enrolled. In addition to the physical and socio-economic challenges, the current ‘Effective Enrolment’ funding model has placed undue pressure on remote schools already at risk, significantly impacting the educational outcomes of First Nations students.

What is the Effective Enrolment model?

The Effective Enrolment model allocates funding based primarily on attendance rather than enrolment. The funding model is unique to the Northern Territory and has been in place since 2015. It accounts for 65% of the schools’ overall budget and is calculated using the average of the previous year’s two highest weeks of attended for each term.

According to the latest Productivity Commission data, the Northern Territory has the lowest school attendance rate in Australia, with Territory-wide attendance rates in Government schools falling from 65 per cent to 60 per cent over the past five years. It also has the lowest rate of First Nations students attending school. The downturn has been more severe in some remote schools, resulting in budgets being slashed by up to a quarter for the following year.

According to Minister for Education Eva Lawler:

"It is important to acknowledge that the Northern Territory context is unlike any other jurisdiction in Australia in terms of student mobility and challenges to attendance which result in year-on-year variances in both attendance and enrolment for schools."

The department maintains that all students enrolled are funded and that remote schools were allocated more funding per student than those in regional and urban centres.

How has this model impacted the classroom?

Data reveals that reduced funding directly correlates with reduced learning outcomes for First Nations students. When school funding is not adequately allocated, difficult decisions regarding a school’s resourcing, class sizes and teacher workload must be made. Schools across the Northern Territory have experienced this firsthand, with these difficult decisions placing undue pressure on teachers within the context of a widespread staff shortage. Additionally, official data has revealed that student desire to attend school has declined due to the increasingly limited pool of resources, increased class sizes and a less desirable learning environment.

Independent Analysis of the Model

After seven years, the Department of Education engaged Deloitte to undertake an independent analysis of the current effective enrolment model. Deloitte’s review found little evidence that the effective enrolment model improved educational outcomes for First Nations children. As such, the NT Government has decided to implement a simplified enrolment-based methodology for school funding. However, schools in the Northern Territory have been warned that the transition may take time and that the current funding model will be used in the interim. 

Read the full report by Deloitte here

To support the Foundation and our projects within the Northern Territory, make a donation at www.givenow.com.au/watarrkafoundation