Reports say Victorian public schools face a funding shortfall of almost $20 billion. 

Combined Commonwealth and Victorian Government funding for private schools has increased by four times that for public schools since 2009-10. 

Projected funding estimates show that private schools will be over-funded by about $730 million for the rest of the decade while public schools will be under-funded by nearly $20 billion.

New figures from advocacy group Save Our Schools show that government funding increases have massively favoured private schools over public schools in Victoria since 2009-10. 

Between 2009-10 and 2019-20 government funding for private schools increased by $2,582 per student, adjusted for inflation, compared to $667 per student for public schools. 

In percentage terms, private school funding increased by 27.9 per cent compared to only 5 per cent for public schools.

“The chronic underfunding of public schools in Victoria and the rest of Australia is an education and social disaster,” Save Our Schools says. 

“Huge increases in funding have flowed to where they have the least effect. 

“The misallocation threatens huge costs to individuals, society and the national economy because it means continuing failure to address disadvantage in education and life. This leads to lower school completion rates, higher unemployment, lower incomes, lower health outcomes and less access to positions of power and influence in society for disadvantaged students. 

“School funding policies thereby contribute to the social reproduction of inequality in our society. It is an appalling social injustice, but it is also a drag on Australia’s economic growth and prosperity.”

Detailed figures are accessible here.