back to school

After the horrors of war, a love of learning Pia Akerman January 29, 2007 FOR most children, returning to school today is an unwelcome end to summer freedom. But for others, such as the Pager children, school is a welcome symbol of opportunity in a country that has never known the horror of a civil war. Kuany Pager brought her five children to Adelaide two years ago while her husband remained in Konger, southern Sudan. "In the Sudan there was no school, no food. A lot of people were dying," Mrs Pager said. "Now it's good because now my children go to school to learn." Chol, 12, Diing, 10, and Aleek, 5, will be among more than 3.3 million primary and high school students returning to school this week. In NSW, teachers return to school today but the 740,000 students will say hello to the classroom tomorrow. Victorian students return on Wednesday and in far western NSW towns such as Deniliquin, Wilcannia and Broken Hill they return on February 6. The NSW Government will begin implementing the final part of its $710million program to reduce class sizes to an average of 20 students in kindergarten, 22 in Year 1 and 24 in Year 2. Parents also will be forced to spend more on schooling this year, as education costs outstrip inflation. Education costs rose 4.8 per cent in the year to December. While most government schools do not charge fees, the costs of uniforms, sports equipment, school bags and text books are likely to rise. Private schools such as Cranbrook, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, will charge fees of up to $24,000 this year. Chol, Diing and Aleek will walk into Nazareth College in Adelaide's western suburbs with more than 1300 students from 40 ethnic groups. The school officially opens today after the amalgamation of Siena College and Our Lady of the Manger, Mater Christi and Cardinia Parish schools. Co-principal Pauline Murphy said the number of refugee students had increased. "Some of them haven't been to any formal schooling because they've been born in refugee camps," she said. "The African families are very supportive of the school and are keen for their children to get an education." Additional reporting: AAP http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21133169-5006787,00.html