The Department of Education’s strategic focus is centred on achieving the Tasmanian government’s priorities for education, training and information services. These priorities are expressed through the goals of Tasmania Together, Tasmania: A State of Learning and a number of targeted strategies.
Tasmania Together is a community-driven vision for Tasmania’s future. Its goals and standards provide a statement of where the community wants Tasmania to be in 2020. Benchmarks and their targets provide the means by which progress is measured. The Tasmania Together Progress Board reports this progress to parliament.
The department is responsible for a number of Tasmania Together benchmarks and is committed to achieving established targets. Many departmental initiatives contribute directly to the achievement of the targets and these are identified throughout this report by the use of the Tasmania Together logo1 and benchmark references. Full details on the benchmarks for which the department has coordinating responsibility are provided in Appendix 1 of this report.
The department strives to provide quality learning opportunities for all Tasmanians, not only in the compulsory years of schooling, but throughout life from early childhood through to the years after school. The department’s curriculum strategy aims to ensure that students get the best education possible. This strategy is focused on the implementation of a curriculum framework that guides student learning and understanding to help them lead full and enriched lives. It is complemented by the department’s literacy and numeracy strategy which is directed at improving student performance in literacy and numeracy at all stages of schooling including the post-compulsory years.
Consistent with the government’s social and community objectives, a departmental priority has been to ensure that the educational needs of all students, particularly those with special and additional needs, are met. The department’s strategy provides for supportive and inclusive environments in all learning and child care institutions and libraries, and the provision of programs that are inclusive of all children.
Providing support for the learning and development of children in the early years before school is recognised as being of critical importance to their future success in life. The department plays a leading role in the realisation of a whole of government strategy for the early years.
Tasmania: A State of Learning is the Tasmanian government’s strategic plan for post-Year 10 education and training. It sets out a long-term strategic framework for post-Year 10 education and training particularly in relation to skills development, lifelong learning and student retention into further education and training, a major focus of the Guaranteeing Futures strategy.
The government has a key role in providing for skills development that will support and sustain Tasmania’s economic growth. Together with A State of Learning, Investing in Our Future establishes the department’s strategic priorities to support skills development and ensure Tasmania’s workforce has the skills necessary to support industry and business.
The department’s strategy regarding public information, which includes Tasmania’s documentary heritage, is designed to enhance ready access to quality information. Ease of access is vital to the pursuit of prosperity, quality of life, lifelong learning, informed decision-making and the development of personal and community wellbeing.
Working within a whole of government framework, the department continually reviews and refines its strategies to ensure the delivery of the best possible outcomes for clients. This necessitates the measuring and monitoring of performance across the portfolio which is undertaken using a range of performance measures. Progress against our key performance measures is reported in this overview and in each of the service delivery chapters of this report. Additional performance measures are provided in Appendix 2.
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Secretary's letter