Pam Betts

Statement from Pam Betts

Executive Director, Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane

This year has presented Brisbane Catholic Education, our teachers, staff, students and community with unprecedented challenges, disruption and uncertainty.

Our country has experienced hardships caused by drought, fire, flood and pandemic. While there has been a justified focus on the immediate learning needs of our students, we’ve also had cause—and opportunity— to to critically assess our ability to respond to an increasingly changing landscape. In this environment our mission to teach, challenge and transform has served us well..

As we celebrate the anniversary of Mary MacKillop’s arrival in Brisbane,  175 years of Catholic education in Queensland and the launch of our first Reconciliation Action Plan, it is timely to pause and reflect on how far we have come and what the journey ahead looks like for all members of our community. 

The Brisbane Catholic Education Strategic Plan 2017-2020 was our first whole-of-organisation strategic plan, which brought together educators, staff, students, parents, caregivers, and the wider community around a single and cohesive framework. This approach has ensured we’ve been better able to plan new initiatives that shape our thinking and growth across our system of schools.

Today’s Prep students will graduate in 2032 and move into earning or further learning. In order to prepare them for the best future they can achieve, we need to constantly challenge our people, practices and perceptions so that we are both focused on today’s tasks as well as the challenges our students will face in the future. 

I encourage you all, as members of the Brisbane Catholic Education community, to engage and participate in this journey, so we can step forward together with the confidence, enthusiasm and hope to serve the needs of each and every learner.