School of the Air celebrates 60 years and a vision of independence
(Source: ABC News vi Kim Elliott)
Parents of children in South Australia's outback are calling for the state's School of the Air to become independent so it has more control over how students learn.
The school at Port Augusta in the state's north has marked its 60th anniversary of delivering lessons to students in remote areas.
When the school began in 1958, lessons were given via high frequency (HF) radio, but are now done over the internet.
In 1991, the School of the Air amalgamated with the SA Correspondence School to become Open Access College, which is based in Adelaide.
At a recent meeting in Port Augusta, the Isolated Children's Parents' Association called for the School of the Air to become an autonomous education provider.
The association's north-west branch president Lynly Kerin said it was "no longer beneficial or manageable" for the school to be part of the college, and that its 49 students were being overlooked in the college's cohort of 5,600 students.
Ms Kerin said the School of the Air community felt "overshadowed by decisions being made by people who may not understand the needs of our kids out here in remote areas".
"At the very least, we request that the Minister look at an investigation into the change that we're proposing," she said.["]