Three years after a state-of-the-arts agricultural school in Western Sydney was meant to open its doors, but it still hasn’t delivered. Students competed for a place in the selective school are stuck in makeshift classrooms, and families say they are in the dark about its future.
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00:00 When the Centre for Excellence in Agricultural Education was announced in December 2019,
00:07 Amanda Jordan thought it would be the perfect fit for her son, Adam.
00:11 He's really big into the poultry industry.
00:13 He shows chickens and ducks and turkeys.
00:15 The NSW Department of Education promised state of the art science labs, a greenhouse and
00:20 outdoor learning.
00:21 But when PFAS contamination was found at the proposed site in the Hawkesbury, construction
00:26 was put on hold.
00:27 I was looking forward to the cattle part of it, sheep and the rest of agriculture itself
00:33 and yet we haven't been able to have that.
00:35 He'll be a child that's actually gone all the way through high school without actually
00:38 having a school.
00:39 Students competed to get into the public selective school so they could learn agricultural skills,
00:43 but say so far they're stuck in temporary classrooms and have spent more time on computers
00:48 indoors.
00:49 I've seen all of the videos and all of the plans and all of that and it looks awesome
00:53 but I can't see it.
00:54 In March, students will be able to learn in demountable classrooms on this site at a nearby
00:59 university campus.
01:00 But for parents, it's a long way from the centre of excellence they were promised.
01:04 They're currently in buildings that are probably worse than a standard high school, if we're
01:08 honest.
01:09 Parents have been trying to get answers about where, when and whether the school will actually
01:14 be built, but so far haven't had any luck.
01:17 That's making us all really uneasy.
01:19 School Infrastructure NSW said in a statement that it's actively working on an alternative
01:23 plan for the centre and as soon as they have more information, they'll advise the community.
01:28 But the local member is unimpressed.
01:30 There is no excuse now.
01:31 I think we need answers.
01:32 We need a secure site.
01:35 Until there's more information forthcoming, it's an anxious wait for families.
01:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]