Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 23 November 1994
Parliamentary Record 6
Debates for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1994-11-23
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/414128
DEBATES - Wednesday 23 November 1994 be able to make far better use o f new technology in teaching students in remote communities from this new studio. Funding has been allocated also to upgrade the radio transmitter. Anyone who is familiar with School o f the Air would be aware that the current system is breaking down a little with age but, with the additional allocation to upgrade the transmitter, the children will receive a far stronger signal. This is very important for the teachers at School o f the Air and the students receiving the message. The tourism component that they are looking at is something quite different and exciting. They have been talking to consultants to assist them with this new concept. It is interesting to note that, o f all places in Alice Springs that tourists visit, the School o f the Air is rated the third most popular after Panorama Guth and the Flying Doctor Service. The industry has been saying for some time that the School o f the Air needs to improve its tourism operation to cater for this market and this is exactly what has happened. It is hoping to come up with a development that will take tourists through 4 stages when they enter the School o f the Air. The first stage will comprise a display and history o f the school which shows past and present methods o f teaching, and an honour roll with the names o f some o f the people who have been through the School o f the Air. The second stage will be a theatrette where an audio visual display will be shown. The Northern Territory museum staff are helping with this area. The third stage will be the viewing area where tourists will actually see the teachers in action in the studio. The fourth stage will be a merchandising area where the School o f the Air hopes to capitalise on the tourist market. The tourism industry generally in Alice Springs has been exerting pressure for some time for the School o f the Air to cater for the industrys needs and meet the needs of tourists. For instance, at the moment, the School o f the Air is often closed at certain times o f the day, at certain times o f the year when it has in-school activities and certainly during school holidays. However, with the new venture, the School o f the Air will be open each day as well as during the school holidays - that is, it will provide a service 12 months a year. This tourism venture obviously will add increased revenue to the School o f the Air budget. At the moment, any moneys it raises are used to fund enrichment activities for students. Every year, there are interstate excursions and in-school activities and new resources are purchased. With the new funding, all these can be enhanced. Certainly, the interstate tours are very popular with the students as they give them social experience of the urban environment that they normally do not have and introduce them to the schools and the private boarding schools that they may attend eventually. The School o f the Air has taken a great initiative in developing this project. The better facilities in the studio will mean better service for the teachers and students, and let us not forget that that is the schools major priority - the teaching o f the students. The addition o f a major tourism venture will add another dimension to the school and will provide a first-class tourist facility for Alice Springs. I wish the school luck with its new venture. Another school in the electorate of Braitling that is happy with some o f the new things that are happening to it is the Araluen Christian School. It will open 3 new 1856