The number of students at Tantanora Primary School will drop sharply next year to just three students. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Pictures
(Tantanoola Primary School) at Tantanora Primary School in southeastern Australia requires only three students to operate. The school has been focusing on recruiting teenagers for the past few years, making it one of the smallest schools in the state. The school, built in 1883, was originally used as a library and office. Over the years, a number of buildings have been built in order to add three classrooms and a school hall.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a total of seven schools in South Australia have equal or even lower enrolment rates than Tanora Primary School, according to a survey of the number of students in the first semester of this year. Among them, the Raukkan Aboriginal school in the Coorong area has the lowest enrolment rate in the state, with seven students. The number of students at Tantanora Primary School will drop sharply next year to just three students.
In South Australia, if most parents of students vote in favour of closing schools, they can close their public schools or conduct external reviews as required by the Ministry of Education.
School Council (The School Council) expressed concern about the future of Tantanula Primary School and asked in a poll whether the educational facility should continue to be opened. Most of the 26 people surveyed voted for the school to continue to operate.
Although the school is in operational condition, the school`s principal, Oakholm (Lesley Okholm), said another vote could still be held. "while it is a good thing for the community to continue to operate, this kind of poll may become conducted every year."
The headmaster said she was worried that children who went to primary schools might miss some social experiences rather than studying in large schools. "We`ve never heard the noise of a child. All we can hear every day is that when we open the amusement center, we can hear some children running around. But it`s not normal."
Sue Billet, president of the Small Schools Association of South Australia, said student learning wasn`t affected by the size of the school. "For teachers who work in small schools, it`s a challenging thing because you can have your own multilevel curriculum.
For now, Oakholm says he hopes enrolment will increase by the beginning of the 2020 school year.
Robert Roberts, chairman of the school committee, said nearly five parents of students who were preparing to go to reception next year said their children might soon be in school.
"at this stage, we mainly talk to the children at the reception desk to help them make the transition during school.
"That`s where to look for families in the community, older but still in primary school."
