Member for Macquarie Fields, Anoulack Chanthivong, has reaffirmed his commitment to keeping Hurlstone Agricultural High School (HAHS) at Glenfield, and warns that the Baird Government’s proposal to move the high-ranking school from south west Sydney will have serious and far-reaching educational ramifications for the region.
Under plans announced by the Government in late November, Hurlstone Agricultural High School is set to move to Hawkesbury in an agreement with the Western Sydney University (WSU).
Hurlstone Agricultural High School was ranked 23rd in the State based on this year’s Higher School Certificate (HSC) results – the only school in south west Sydney to be included in the top 25. HAHS is the only fully selective, co-educational agricultural high school in south west Sydney and is a flagship public school for the region.
“Once again, Hurlstone has produced some of the finest students in the State, upholding its reputation as one of the best educational institutions our country has to offer,” Mr Chanthivong said.
“If Hurlstone were to move to Hawkesbury as the Government proposes, the next generation of students from south west Sydney would be robbed of an opportunity to attend a school of its calibre and academic credentials.
“This will have very serious and far-reaching consequences for our region that will reverberate from Glenfield to Wolli Creek, from Liverpool to Bankstown and from Macquarie Fields to Campbelltown – and beyond.
“Accessibility to quality education is key to young people achieving a promising future. Hurlstone must remain at Glenfield if we are to ensure that young people in south west Sydney have the same opportunities as kids in other parts of Sydney,” Mr Chanthivong said.
“Education is not a game of chess where you simply move the pieces around and expect the community to all stand in line and wait their turn for a shot at giving their kids the best learning opportunities available.
“There are high stakes at play here and the kids of south west Sydney will lose out to a region that already has the State’s best performing high school within its boundaries – James Ruse Agricultural High. Not to mention Baulkham Hills High school, ranked 6, and Cherrybrook Technology High at 61.
“Moving Hurlstone away from south west Sydney has implications far beyond the school gate and would lead to an educational inequality our community simply can’t afford,” Mr Chanthivong said.
