Stephen gave the following speech in Parliament on the 21st March, 2019.
"Plympton International College is located in Errington Street in Plympton. It provides a learning experience for students from reception to year 12. In 2017, Plympton International College became the first bilingual school in South Australia where students have the unique opportunity of becoming fluent in the Chinese language—one of the most spoken languages in the world. The current principal, Linda Richardson, has been in place as the bilingual program has been rolled out and implemented. The bilingual program has been in place for 10 years, and in the first three years, the lower primary school students have been the focus with daily Chinese lessons.
The school has students from over 40 nationalities, and in the last three years, the number of primary students has increased by 140. In fact, the number of school students this year has increased to just over 500 students. Even so, the capacity of the school is running at around 60 per cent, when schools on both the city and coastal sides are trending towards maximum capacity.
Another curriculum program that the school has particularly invested in is STEM. Seventy-five per cent of the fastest growing industries need some form of science, technology, engineering or maths skills. I studied maths, physics and chemistry in year 12 and then electrical engineering and physics at university, so I can understand the opportunities that will open up in South Australia with the $90 billion defence shipbuilding program, the fantastic news of the location of the Australian Space Agency here at Lot Fourteen and, just this week, the announcement of a mission control centre in Adelaide.
One of the best parts of my job as a local member of parliament is visiting schools in my electorate and meeting students and teachers. On 6 March, I was invited to open the school's STEM facility. South Australian taxpayers have invested $3.5 million into the STEM facility started by the previous government and continued by this government to provide a wonderful, new, state-of-the-art, purpose-built learning space.
Some of the existing buildings have been given a new lease on life and turned into an open STEM facility with science learning areas, makerspaces, wet areas, adaptable rooms, and access to a new nature play area. These spaces will allow for robotics, digital media and science learning with up-to-date technology.
The school has an innovative teaching and learning partnership with the University of South Australia, and at the opening we saw a data analytics demonstration by Dr Matt Sykes from UniSA. Additionally, the STEM facility allows the student to live stream with students in China in order to co-learn and interact remotely.
Speaking with students at the opening of the new centre, it has given them a real sense of pride in their school, and the principal has reported higher levels of student engagement. These new spaces provide the school's wonderful teachers with the specialist facilities they need to inspire innovation and creativity in STEM studies, as well as stimulating the imagination of these students and challenging them to achieve even more than they already do.
That is an important point: facilities are important, but even more important are the teachers and learning programs. That is what the government is focused on: that every child is supported to reach their potential at every school. After talking with members of the school community, I am concerned that their morale has taken a hit after comments made by Labor MPs, which were reported in the media, around school zoning and what that infers about Plympton International. Some of those comments occurred at Plympton Primary School, 750 meters away from Plympton International.
We know we cannot have a two-tiered public school system and, in my discussions with the education minister, it is about ensuring that the students who attend or will attend Plympton will receive a fantastic education that sets them up for life. In speaking today, I seek to emphasise to my local community, and to the wider community, that I support the teaching and learning program at Plympton International and the school's vision to be a center of excellence. I can see that transformation occurring. I urge those opposite to take the same approach. Reassure your communities that students in every public school will receive a fantastic education.
The principal has previously taken me on tours of the school. The school is holding an open day next Wednesday 27 March. I encourage all of you in this chamber and everyone in the community to attend."
