Challenger receives $6 million boost

Education Minister Liz Constable signalled a 4.9 per cent increase for education to $4 billion in the State Budget.

The benefits for Rockingham and Kwinana are $6 million allocated to redevelop the Rockingham campus of Challenger Institute of Technology, and that all public schools without air-conditioning will now receive evaporative cooling systems.

Also, construction will continue on the new Baldivis High School, at a cost of $44 million.

The $52 million schools cooling system program will be rolled out in two stages, with Tranby Primary School to be one of the first schools in 2011-2012 to receive air-conditioning.

Another 91 schools aroundWA will receive air-conditioning the following year.

The final stage of the program will happen between 2013 and 2015.

The second-round list of schools was not available at the time of going to press.

Kwinana MLA Roger Cook said he was disappointed at the small amount o f funding delivered for the crucial area of education in the Budget.

‘‘Bertram is bursting at the seams with over 600 students,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s a no-brainer that the Barnett Government should start construction of a new primary school in the Wellard area.’’