Provisional schools
Vol 18. Number 01, January/February 2009
Provisional schools are an important part of Queensland's education history.
One of the earliest references to provisional schools by Queensland's education department was in a report in 1869.
It referred to settlers who were 'too few, too far apart, or too recently established in their new homes' to comply with the necessary regulations for the establishment of a state school.
If these settlers could provide a temporary 'rough structure' until they were able to comply with the regulations, then the department would provisionally recognise the school and provide a small salary for a teacher.
The teacher appointed usually received a salary less than that of the lowest classified teacher. Consequently, they often lacked an adequate education, or occasionally, the position went to a well-educated person who had failed in other occupations, or an educated woman forced to provide for herself.
Many provisional schools were conducted in sub-standard buildings or dwellings, including tents, bush huts, railway huts, rooms and verandas of private homes, deserted hotels, and farm sheds.
In 1947, there were only 54 provisional schools still operating. That year, the minister expressed concern about the number of provisional schools with poor accommodation and with low attendances, which aggravated the shortage of teachers at the time.
In 1950, Cabinet decided no more provisional schools would be established in Queensland but that existing provisional schools be allowed to remain open.
By 1967, all such schools had either been converted to state schools or closed.
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