Australian children facing higher student-to-teacher ratios at public schools than at private institutions

Governments need to properly fund public schools and pay teachers a better wage, Senator Penny Allman-Payne says. Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

Public school students are learning in classrooms with higher student-to-teacher ratios than children in private educational institutions, sparking renewed calls to address the underfunding of government schools.

The data, released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara), found the full-time equivalent student-teacher ratio is 12.8 for private schools and 13.6 for public schools nationally.