The New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning is a minister in the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governme ...

and has responsibilities that includes all schools and institutes of higher education in

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The current Minister for Education and Early Learning is

Sarah Mitchell Sarah Ann Mitchell (née Johnston; born 10 May 1982), an Australian politician, is the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning in the second Berejiklian ministry since April 2019, and in the Perrottet ministry. She has been a Nat ...

, since 30 January 2017. The minister is supported by the Minister for Skills and Training, presently

Alister Henskens Alister Andrew Henskens (born 30 December 1963) is an Australian politician. He has served as the New South Wales Minister for Skills and Training, the Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Leader of the House in the Legis ...

, since 21 December 2021. Together, the ministers administer the portfolio through the

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

cluster may refer to: Science and technology Astronomy * Cluster (spacecraft), constellation of four European Space Agency spacecraft * Asteroid cluster, a small asteroid family * Cluster II (spacecraft), a European Space Agency mission to study th ...

, in particular the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

TAFE NSW TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

, and a range of other government agencies. Ultimately, the ministers are responsible to the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...

Office history

The role of administering the education system in New South Wales began with the passing by the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in t ...

of the ''National Education Board Act 1848'', which emulated the ' National' system of education established in Ireland by

Lord Stanley Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

in 1831 through the

Stanley letter The Stanley letter is a letter written in 1831 by Edward Stanley (who later became The 14th Earl of Derby), then Chief Secretary for Ireland. The letter outlined his proposal which helped the U.K. Government to establish legal basis for nationa ...

. The Act established the Board of National Education, a body corporate, with a Chairman of the Board appointed by the board members. The Board was abolished by the colonial government of

Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has ...

in 1866 with the passing of the ''Public Schools Act 1866'' and its functions were replaced by the Council of Education. Originally the bill for the act had included a measure to attach the role of President of the Council of Education ''ex officio'' to the Colonial Secretary. This measure was deleted in committee stage and the role of President was to be elected by the members of the council. This came to be seen by the first president, Parkes, as an indispensable way in which to protect the independence of the fledgling education system in the colony. From 1873, with the independence of the role of President well established, the responsibility for education within the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

was held by the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction. However this situation did not last and the independent council was abolished with the passing of the ''Public Instruction Act 1880'' by Sir Henry Parkes' third government. The Act dissolved the Council of Education and transferred its responsibilities to a new Minister of Public Instruction, who had the role of establishing for the first time a well-structured system of public education throughout the colony. The Minister administered the portfolio through the Department of Public Instruction, which became the Department of Education in 1915. In 2015 the functions of

were transferred from the education portfolio to the industry, portfolio only to return to the education portfolio in 2019.

Predecessor offices and ministers

Board of National Education/Council of Education

The Chairman or President were not ministers of the crown, although all but John Smith were current or former members of parliament. They were independent of ministerial supervision until the Minister of Justice and Public Instruction was appointed in December 1873.

Ministers of Justice and Public Instruction

List of ministers

The following individuals have been appointed Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning or any previous titles.

Ministers for Education

Former ministerial titles

Assistant ministers

Occasionally, an Assistant Minister for Education would be appointed to assist the minister and act as a deputy.

References

{{New South Wales Government Departments, state=autocollapse