Labor pledges $24m for south-west schools

The promised funding includes $5m for Our Lady Help of Christians (OLHC) Primary in Warrnambool, $6.6m for Cobden Technical School, $10.2m for Colac West Primary and $1.8m for Lismore Primary.

OLHC principal Stephen Madden said the potential funding would make an enormous difference to the school, which had grown by 50 per cent over the past decade.

"As OLHC continues to grow our master plan has needed to be reworked to cater for our increased numbers," Mr Madden said.

He said he was grateful for the focus on a regional non-government school.

South West Coast Labor candidate Kylie Gaston said the funding would "help with the school's growing enrolments" and allow it to get rid of the portable classrooms it had been relying on.

She said the money would also pay for a new "learning centre with a library and six learning areas surrounding it". Mr Madden said any concrete plans would have to wait until the funding was approved and could then be developed in consultation with the school advisory council.

Cobden Technical School principal Rohan Keert said he was "delighted" with the $6.6m election promise.

"The school hasn't had any funding assistance for its learning spaces in its 50-year existence," Mr Keert said.

He said "big ticket items" like science and food tech facilities had been renovated using community and federal government funding, which meant the school could thoroughly upgrade its learning areas.

"The first thing will be all the removable (classrooms) will go," he said.

"The important thing for me is the kids of Cobden and small towns don't get left behind. The further you get away from the city the more you're left behind."

He said the funding would help Cobden get closer to a level playing field. "We're all very excited about being included."

Polwarth Labor candidate Hutch Hussein said $6.6m was a "big boost" and would make a significant difference for the school.

"The fact these buildings haven't had their learning spaces upgraded for 50 years speaks to the apathy shown to the area as a safe liberal seat," Ms Hussein said.

Cobden Tech also received a $5000 grant from Nutrien Ag Solutions, which Mr Keert said would help fund a $40,000 outdoor classroom.

"It's a community project in collaboration with the Cobden Cricket Club. The school is paying for all the materials," he said.

The government has pledged $850m for the public school system if it's re-elected, funding 89 school upgrades across the state.

A spokesperson said 25 per cent of the funding had been committed to regional areas "making sure families have access to a great local school, no matter where they live".

Labor also pledged $705m to "to build and expand around 180 government-owned kinders", as well as $19m for programs to attract new teachers into a stretched education system.

"This will include... an extra 400 graduate teachers to work in schools with hard-to-staff positions, a program to attract an extra 400 experienced teachers back into the workforce and a migration support service to help principals recruit international teachers for their schools," the spokesperson said.

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