What Was Our State Education Minister Thinking?

On Sunday we were told by Ljiljanna Ravlich, the Education and Training Minister, that denim would be banned in Western Australian schools next year. Obviously it is seen as "too fun" and has no place in school. There was a bt of an outcry from parents, although this is probably a beatup, as it would be too expensive for many families to purchase school uniforms.

Excuse me but, don't a good pair of denim jeans cost in the range of $100-170? School trousers won't cost anywhere near that much. I'm all for having a uniform. There is no pressure on kids to have the latest and greatest wardrobe and less pressure on parents to spend money on fashionable clothes. Actually, I give the thumbs up to Miss Ravlich on this subject. And I'm glad to hear that teachers wouldn't be able to wear denim either. It might smarter up their appearance a bit too.

Next day there is another anouncement that businesses may be asked to invest in our schools with naming rights a possibility. Methinks that a big opportunity has been blown here, namely, Levi's Jeans investing any money. If the denim was allowed then maybe they could sponsor school uniforms. What about that, MP Ravlich?

On the other hand, can you see McDonalds and Hungry Jacks having naming rights to classrooms or ovals, etc? You can't be picky about who is allowed to sponsor, can you? That would be discrimination. What if a brothel wished to name the social studies classroom?

Methinks this requires a bit more thought. Mining companies sponsoring a geography classroom isn't such a bad idea. We'll have to see how this develops.