Thousands of Victorian students from low socio-economic backgrounds will miss out on the $42.5 million funding designed to replace the scrapped education maintenance allowance (EMA) payments next year.
The Napthine government will give funding directly to the state’s “most disadvantaged” schools and provide its principals with the power to determine how it will be spent.
But children not attending one of those schools will have to fend for themselves.
Victorian Australian Education Union deputy president Justin Mullaly said the state government’s decision to abolish the EMA and introduce a system that thousands of students would miss out on was not good enough.
“This government engaged in a two-card trick,” Mr Mullaly said.
“It’s cutting funding to disadvantaged students and repackaging that money and suggesting it will be available in a different way.
“But we know there are students receiving EMA who simply will not be eligible for assistance next year.”
More than 700 state schools will be provided with $34.5 million, while independent and Catholic schools will get $8 million.
The amount schools get will be proportionate to their levels of disadvantage.
Mr Mullaly said the EMA served students from disadvantaged backgrounds well, but the new system meant students would potentially miss out on an education.
He said principals would have to think carefully about which programs their schools offered because they might not have the resources to ensure all students could get involved.
The state government has not published a list of schools receiving payments.
Star Weekly contacted schools in Melton and Moorabool shires, but principals declined to comment and said they were unsure if they would receive any assistance.
