A ST ALBANS author says the state government’s decision to cut TAFE funding will rob disadvantaged students of the chance for a better future.
Amra Pajalic says she wouldn’t have had the confidence or skills to study at university had she not gone to TAFE.
The 34-year-old, whose first novel The Good Daughter was shortlisted for the 2009 Melbourne Prize, comes from a disadvantaged background and both her parents were on a disability pension.
She said no one in her family had completed high school and she didn’t achieve a high enough score to go on to university.
She said a TAFE certificate in office administration and a diploma of arts helped her climb out of poverty.
“I had no confidence or skills until I did TAFE and I ended up going on to do a bachelor of arts at the University of Western Sydney,” Ms Pajalic said.
“I’m now doing a postgraduate degree in secondary education and hope to teach in the western suburbs and be a role model for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
As reported by the Weekly, the government this month announced it would cut spending to 80 per cent of vocational courses as part of a $100 million decrease in skills funding.
Ms Pajalic said the decision would affect the people who needed the funding most.
“I’m worried for the futures of young people who are already in a position of disadvantage.”
Western Metropolitan Greens MP Colleen Hartland said TAFE had given her a second chance of an education. She was 40 when she started a diploma in community development at Victoria University in St Albans.
“I had worked in low-skilled. low-paying jobs for 20 years and was given a chance by my employer to go and get some extra training,” she said.
“These courses are important for people in my age group as they provide a second chance for those who didn’t get a proper education in their teens.”
Ms Hartland urged the state government to rethink the funding cuts.
“The government is undermining a system of education which is of real benefit to a lot of people.”
