Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Pakenham electorate schools

Emma VULIN (Pakenham) (10:02): February was a busy month for education in the Pakenham electorate. On Wednesday 1 February I had the honour of attending the opening of Kurrun Primary School with the Minister for Education. This is one of the 13 new schools that the state government is opening this year. It was a pleasure to meet with principal Gavan Hughes once again and be led on a tour by the amazing student leaders Shraddhaa and Shyam. It was an absolute joy to meet students and families and great to hear the children give the school a rating of a million out of a million. This was the first school I have visited as the member, and it was wonderful to see the finishing touches – the gardens, open spaces and modern administration buildings, along with outdoor play spaces, art rooms, the gymnasium and the incredible library.

The Andrews Labor government is investing in education not only in our state but for our growing community in Officer. With lots of new houses being built in the Officer area, this is a fantastic new school that will give young families in the area a state-of-the-art facility for their children to learn and grow close to home. I look forward to being a part of the new school community and visiting on many more occasions.

On 15 February I was joined by the Premier at Pakenham Secondary College. Principal Aaron Smith and student leaders Abigail, Tara and Arshdeep took us on a tour of their amazing school. We were there to back in our election commitment of $11.3 million to upgrade the college. The teachers, support staff and students were wonderful, and I appreciate their having us. I look forward to coming back again.