Member for Dandenong, Gabrielle Williams, today hosted Education Minister James Merlino on a visit to Dandenong to showcase local schools.

Ms Williams and Minister Merlino visited Lyndale Secondary College to inspect progress on stage 1 and 2 of the school’s rebuild, and also stopped by the Emerson School to discuss the school’s plans for the future.

The Andrews Labor Government has so far invested $13 million to rebuild Lyndale Secondary College. The rebuild is welcome news for the Lyndale community who have long advocated for the capital upgrade. The school submitted its masterplan to the Victorian government in 2010, but sadly the Napthine/Baillieu governments left it to gather dust. Ms Williams campaigned for the upgrade prior to her election, securing a stage 1 investment in 2015, followed by stage 2 funding earlier this year.

During the visit to the school, student leaders at Lyndale told the Minister how important the upgrade is to them and their education. Work is well underway on the school’s new STEM Centre and Performing Arts space, with more to come.

At Emerson, Mr Merlino and Ms Williams met with Principal, John Mooney, to learn about the wonderful programs Emerson provides for students with intellectual processing difficulties.

Emerson School is the largest specialist school of its type in Victoria and provides a wide range of educational, therapeutic and developmental programs for students.

It is one of the leading examples of educational inclusion in Australia, with an ethos which focuses on unlocking the potential within every student.