That ICPA NT requests that the Department of Education and Training annually review the Student Assistance Scheme - Boarding Allowance, including the zone methodology and allowance amounts, to ensure all geographically isolated boarding students are adequately and fairly, financially supported to complete their compulsory schooling.
The NT Student Assistance Boarding Allowances (Intrastate & Interstate) must adequately support families of isolated Territory students completing their compulsory secondary education through boarding. The NT Education Act states that access to education must be free, yet the cost of educating geographically isolated students through boarding, which is the only option for many students, is a huge and often overwhelming expense for families to cover.
The Dept of Education has refined the Allowance to subsidize both the cost of education, and any travel to and from their place of study, and they have an obligation to ensure this subsidy aligns with cost-of-living increases. Each year, the boarding fees, uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses increase, and the NT Student Assistance Boarding Allowances must reflect this.
The Zone Methodology must be equitable – it must reflect distance and difficulty in travel, and ICPA
