Dr Anna Hogan from UQ's School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences and School of Education spoke to Brisbane Times about state schools’ “private income”.
A public education is anything but free in Australia, with principals forced to rustle up extra income streams and parents forking out hundreds of dollars in school levies.
From sausage sizzles, corporate sponsorships and levies, state school and recruiting mums and dads to help fill the funding gap.
In 2015, $1.8 billion flowed into public education in Australia from private income sources – an average of $752 for each student.
UQ's Dr Anna Hogan said the idea that state schools were “free” needed to be challenged, with some schools raising more than $2 million a year from private sources.
“Principals feel they have to engage in these kinds of practices because they feel they’re not getting enough public funding,” she said.
“But also, how much can you ask from a public school parent to pay in school fees?”
