Cutbacks jeopardise HSC students

We write to you in regard to the recently-established Brisbane Water Secondary College.

As Year 12 students of this school, it has been brought to our attention that our classes will be reduced by two hours a fortnight from seven hours to five for any class that has less then 10 students enrolled.

Again we have been misled by the powers that be and the students at our school will again be disadvantaged.

We were informed that when this college was established the need to reduce face-to-face teaching would be eliminated by creating larger classes.

For example, Year 12 two-unit mathematics has three classes of approximately seven students each.

With cutbacks from seven hours a fortnight to five, the HSC of these students is in jeopardy as there may not be sufficient hours to complete the course.

Without the completion of this mathematics course, the more advanced students who continue onto mathematics extension 1 and mathematics extension 2, in their own time during Year 12, will not have the sufficient base knowledge of mathematics to complete the extension courses.

For other courses such as physics and biology, subjects that are generally considered more advanced, reducing hours would more than likely affect these students' HSC results.

Not only are these subjects affected, but rather a large proportion of Year 12 subjects.

This change will only affect the Year 12 students of a college that promised to prevent this issue from occurring.

We just ask for the support of the community, as whilst we are in the middle of our most important year we don't want to waste our time fighting for what should be rightfully ours.

Maybe the department should stop trying to make schools profitable and start making them educational.

Adam Austin, Jarrod Moore, Ryan Moore, Year 12 students, BWSC Woy Woy Campus