Victorian students say the 2026–27 State Budget invests in education but falls short on the support that shapes students’ day-to-day learning.

While the Budget includes significant funding for new schools, upgrades and system improvements, students say there is less focus on what happens inside classrooms.

VicSRC CEO Julia Baron said the balance of investment highlights a growing gap between system priorities and student experience.

“This budget invests in education infrastructure, but not enough in the student experience,” she said.

“We’re seeing funding for buildings and systems, and targeted investment areas like literacy and numeracy, but less emphasis on the broader support, resources and conditions that 
shape how students learn.”

VicSRC has welcomed targeted investment in areas including disability support, noting the importance of funding that improves access and inclusion for students who need it most.

“Investment in disability support is critical to creating a more inclusive education system, and it’s important to see this recognised,” Julia said.

VicSRC says recent changes, including the defunding of Teach the Teacher, reinforce broader concerns about the consistency of student voice in the system.

Teach the Teacher is a student-led, whole-school model that enables students to work in partnership with teachers to improve learning through structured, data-informed feedback, 
and has been recognised internationally as a leading example of education innovation.

Its removal, alongside the current budget settings, means there is now less consistent support for embedding student voice in teaching and learning.

“Programs like Teach the Teacher created a structured way for students to influence teaching practice,” Julia said.

“Without that kind of model, student voice becomes less consistent across schools and more dependent on individual opportunities.”

VicSRC is calling for:

• Greater investment in student wellbeing and classroom support 

• A system-level approach to embedding student voice in teaching and learning 

• Recognition of students as partners in education design 

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