Fresh start for Djarragun College after fraud cont

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THREE girls share a laugh before the school bell rings, while a group of boys strum a toy guitar on the grass nearby.
And if you stop to ask any of them what they want to be when they finish school, they’ll say a teacher, a hairdresser, a singer, a policeman.
The students at Djarragun College are a lot like the children at other schools and their teachers are working hard to keep it that way,hair straighteners sale, shutting out recent controversy surrounding the school.
Acting principal Di Drew calls it a ‘‘sideshow’’ – exaggerated enrolment figures,buy hair straighteners, $3 million owed to the State and Federal governments, 23 staff redundancies, a principal on extended sick leave and a police inquiry into their inner-workings.
Ms Drew inherited the drama when she was appointed to the top job at the country’s flagship indigenous college in March, after founding principal Jean Illingworth went on sick leave.
Chairman Brent Kelly said the board commissioned an independent inquiry into matters at the school in November after current and ex-staff made complaints, believed to be about inflated enrolments and staff bullying.
News of the allegations broke before the board’s inquiry was complete and a separate investigation was launched by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board under orders from State Education Minister Cameron Dick.
And an investigation by Queensland Police Service’s fraud squad in Brisbane is also under way, along with further inquiries by the school board into record-keeping at the school.
The NSSAB audit found the school had claimed government funding for 250 ‘‘phantom’’ students in 2009 and 2010.
According to the My School website,cheap ghd, the Federal Government funded Djarragun at the rate of $11,568 a student in 2009, while the Queensland Government provided $4130 a student.
Mr Kelly said the school would have to pay back about $3 million to the Education Department and, on Tuesday, the board announced 23 staff redundancies and a raft of other cost-cuts to help repay the debt.
While investigations continue in Canberra and Brisbane, Ms Drew is determined to leave the scandal behind and reclaim the college’s vision for better education outcomes among the region’s indigenous students.
‘‘I’ve been in education for 20 years and this is probably the biggest challenge that I’ve ever faced as a professional,’’ she told The Weekend Post.
‘‘Ideally, what we need to work towards is that our young people graduate with the compulsory 12 years of schooling.
‘‘To ensure that those children get to have the livelihoods that they dream about when they’re in their schooling years.’’
And a walk through the Edmonton campus reveals the new regime is already notching successes.
Tonya Ludwick, 18, was the first student to graduate from year 12 at Djarragun with a certificate III in hairdressing and she returns to the school for further study and to mentor new hairdressing hopefuls.
Middle school learning support teacher Michelle Hill takes on students who can’t read when they arrive at Djarragun and has overseen a new program that accelerates their progress by the equivalent of one year each term.
And head of boarding Jack Ravu has seen the number of boarders grow from 37 to 72 in two terms.
‘‘It’s because life is normal for them now,’’ Mr Ravu said.
‘‘It wasn’t like that before.’’
Middle school head Francesca Shankaran said the past six months have been the hardest in her seven years at Djarragun but the feeling was easing.
‘‘We’ve got a staff who are so positive and are here every day for the kids and that’s what makes the difference.’’
The College:
2001: Djarragun campus opened at Gordonvale
2009: A second campus is opened at Wangetti, north of Cairns. November 2010: The school board launches an investigation through Cairns lawyer Jim Brooks after complaints by current and ex-staff.March 2011: Mr Brooks completes his inquiry and the board asks Ms Illingworth to respond to the claims made. She goes on sick leave before responding. An audit is launched by the State Education Minister after claims about exaggerated enrolments.April 2011: The audit finds the college claimed government funding for 250 “phantom” students. Queensland Police’s fraud squad launches its own inquiry into the school.June 2011: The college board announces 23 staff redundancies and a raft of other cut-back to cover the estimated $3 million it will pay back to the Government.


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