Epping West and Oakhill Drive Public Schools have been awarded funding as part of the NSW Government’s inaugural $2.5 million Sustainable Schools Grants.
Member for Epping Dominic Perrottet said thanks to the grants hundreds of school children will benefit from new student-led programs that will boost education outcomes while also helping the environment.
“Thanks to this grant students at Epping West and Oakhill Drive public schools will learn practical life-skills while at the same time learning how to make their school more sustainable,” Mr Perrottet said.
“The Sustainable Schools Grants will empower students and school communities to start projects that will benefit the environment by helping to save energy or water, reduce waste, or improve biodiversity.”
“I look forward to seeing these wonderful projects coming to life in the coming months.”
Epping West Public School received $15,000 for the establishment of a bush tucker garden with the aim of improving sustainability and increasing the efficiency of water use.
Oakhill Drive Public School also received $15,000 to build a kitchen garden that would incorporate subjects like science, mathematics and geography as well as teach the students the importance and fun in growing your own fruit and vegetables.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said 194 NSW public schools received Sustainable Schools Grants ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 each.
“I’m very glad that schools from across the state embraced the new Sustainable Schools Grants whole heartedly,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The standard of all the submissions was very impressive, and I commend all the participating schools on their efforts.”
“Grant applications included innovative sustainability projects such as kitchen gardens, water storage strategies, and even bee highways to improve biodiversity.
“I encourage other schools to start thinking of applying for the next round of grants.”
The Sustainable Schools Grants program, which provides a total of $10 million over four years, is open to all NSW public schools and preschools with the next application round open in November.
The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW.
In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years, along with a record $500 million for the sustainable Cooler Classrooms program to provide air conditioning to schools.
This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.