Secretary's letter

The Hon. David Bartlett MHA
Minister for Education
Parliament House
HOBART Tasmania 7000

Dear Minister

In accordance with the requirements of section 36 of the Tasmanian State Service Act 2000 and section 27 of the Financial Management and Audit Act 1990, I am pleased to submit to you this report of the activities of the Department of Education for the financial year 2006-07.  

The department’s focus has centred on achieving the Tasmanian Government’s priorities for education, training and information services. Provision of high quality, lifelong learning opportunities for all Tasmanians is our goal. Our emphasis has been on the priority areas of early years, literacy and numeracy, retention, skills development and building a knowledge-based society.  

We are now 12 months into the 18-month implementation phase for the Student at the Centre plan. The four Learning Services have been established and are working hard to support schools and colleges to further improve both the educational experience and the results of students. Schools and colleges have continued to work to meet the individual needs of students. Much has been done on the transition to the new structure and these efforts will continue over the coming months. Importantly, the four regional School Improvement Boards are now in place, and they will work in partnership with Learning Services to help achieve better outcomes for students.  

The Community Knowledge Network strategy is enabling the department to forge strong links between information and the community. One of the outcomes of this will be an informed, empowered and technologically literate community of lifelong users of information and information technology.  

Post-Year 10 education and training, and skills development have also been at the forefront of our thinking. With the creation of Skills Tasmania and the announcement of the Qualifications and Skills for Tasmania Tomorrow initiative, we have laid the foundation to further improve opportunities for participation in post-compulsory education and training that meets the needs of the Tasmanian people and Tasmanian businesses.  

The department continued to contribute to support the local economy through encouraging Tasmanian businesses to compete for government contracts. A detailed account of contracts awarded is included in this report.  

There is much to be proud of within the department and this report highlights the significant contributions made in meeting the education, training and information needs of all Tasmanians. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to it and the work and initiatives it describes.

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