Premier Mark McGowan visited Joseph Banks Secondary College in Banksia Grove today, following the announcement of a multimillion-dollar investment in exciting school upgrades as part of the WA Recovery Plan.
An impressive new building will provide general classrooms and specialised classrooms for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as part of a five-year plan for a space academy at the school.
The Space Science Education Centre will be a purpose-built facility that will provide students with a simulated Mars or lunar surface, specialist facilities to perform space science experiments, as well as technology that will provide a 'mission control' experience.
The investment follows a range of innovative programs and working relationships that have been introduced at the school, including with the Victorian Space Science Education Centre to access the programs they have developed.
Other successful initiatives include the introduction of SCIscope, CoRE and P-TECH which focuses on cybersecurity. In 2020, the college also established the Cheryl Praeger Mathematics Academy for girls.
The college currently has more than 1,500 students, and enrolments are expected to continue well into the future as the local area grows.
This investment is part of the McGowan Government's unprecedented package to modernise Western Australian schools as part of the WA Recovery Plan.
The Major School Upgrade package includes $319.2 million of new funding for upgrades and refurbishments at 63 public schools around the State, stimulating economic growth and supporting around 1,850 jobs.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"These facilities will provide students with some extraordinary learning opportunities.
"It's not every day that students get to experience what it's like to be in space, especially in the comfort of their own classroom.
"This is part of my Government's unprecedented investment in schools across the State as part of the WA Recovery Plan, which will create significant improvements to student learning and drive social and economic recovery."
As stated by Wanneroo MLA Sabine Winton:
"I am absolutely delighted that students at Joseph Banks Secondary College will get access to such fantastic and state-of-the-art facilities.
"Space is a wonderful subject to ignite imaginations and spur an interest in science and technology.
"I am proud to be part of the McGowan Government which invests in education and jobs for locals."
