Sydney

It’s winter in Sydney. Torrential rain, ash clouds, and stormy debates about the effectiveness of $16 billion investment in school buildings as a key part of Australia’s Economic Stimulus Plan.

It reminds me that what happens in our schools is important not only to our pupils and our communities and to learning – but also to our economies. When we say that schools must be seen in context we mean the whole context. When we say that our children are our future – we mean it.

Irrespective of which economic models prevail, schools are at the heart of any nation’s future.