Last chance to save Sustainability Education in NSW

Deadline  October 2012

hello friends,

Please have a read of the message below, write a letter if you can, and pass it on.

We need to keep up the good fight!
Warm regards,

Lisa

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "AAEE NSW Project Officer" <project@aaeensw.org.au>
To: project@aaeensw.org.au
Sent: Tuesday, 25 September, 2012 7:04:48 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Last chance to save Sustainability Education in NSW

Dear AAEE NSW Members,

** My apologies many of you will receive this information through several channels – it is vitally important so we didn’t want to miss anyone!  For the same reason, please forward this to anyone who may share our concerns even if you think they may have it through other channels. **

The NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) has refused to listen to community concern about removing sustainability education support to schools. The DEC is finalising the realignment of its central office services and functions in early October, and the current proposal removes sustainability education policy, curriculum, student learning and professional learning support.

Could you please take a few minutes to send a letter expressing your concern?

Please find attached background information and a fully editable template letter you can use to make writing your letter easy - it is formatted and addressed (including email address) and includes some key points you may like to use.

This is our last chance before the departmental realignment is finalised. If the government proceeds down the path it has indicated, this will be the first time in 102 years that Environmental Education or Sustainability has been abandoned by the Department. Please send your letter before Tuesday 9th October to help avoid this huge backward step.

You may remember we started this campaign with a petition and letters back in June. There was great support then and we thank everyone for that. We need to maintain the pressure!

Thank you!!

Regards

Jem Hansen

Project Officer :: Australian Association for Environmental Education NSW Chapter

Ph 02 6585 3601 :: Mob 0401 864 707 :: Fax 02 6585 3620

Email project@aaeensw.org.au :: Web www.aaeensw.org.au

Background information after following template letter

(Your name)

(Your address)

(Date)

Mr Gregory Prior

Deputy Director-General Schools

NSW Department of Education and Communities

GPO Box 33

SYDNEY 2001

DDGSchools@det.nsw.edu.au

Dear Mr Prior,

(your subject line)

(your letter, you may like to use some of the following points:

• Removal of support for sustainability education in the restructure of the Department of Education and Communities is unacceptable.
• Sustainability education is the only area in school education that asks students and the rest of the school community to seriously consider the world outside the school and then look ahead, think ahead and plan ahead for a better world.
• The future of NSW and Australia needs students equipped to understand complex, integrated problems and how to collaborate, often from positions of disagreement and difference, in order to find appropriate, integrated solutions – at environmental, social, economic, personal and political levels.
• At the national level, the new Australian Curriculum mandates Sustainability as a cross curriculum priority. NSW will have responsibilities in this regard. Teachers and schools will need significant support.
• The Sustainability Development Officer from the NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre has been providing national leadership in sustainability education, and supporting NSW schools and teachers. This support must continue so please reinstate this position.)

Regards,

(your signature or name)

cc: Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, Minister for Education

(please send a copy of your letter to Mr Piccoli by email to office@piccoli.minister.nsw.gov.au, or post to Level 34, Governor Macquarie Tower, 1 Farrer Place, SYDNEY NSW 2000)