Mr Chandler toured four Katherine schools during a visit on August 20 and used Casuarina Street Primary School’s Ca$ Street Ca$h program as an example of how outside-the-box thinking was allowing local teachers to boost the learning outcomes of their students.

“They’re kicking goals and the fact is, if you look at the latest NAPLAN figures, they are jumping ahead more than other schools, so you’ve got to put that down to leadership, good teachers and, of course, a consistent curriculum that they’re now following,” he said.

“It is absolutely critical [in the northern Australia development plan].

“You know, we’ve only had discussions in the last few days about what we can do in the education space to take us to do something that no other state or territory is doing in the country.”

Under the Ca$ Street Ca$h program, students are rewarded with “money” when they demonstrate any of the school’s four values.

They can then use the money to purchase items in the school store.

Principal John Cleary said the innovative approach had paid dividends.

“Both in terms of our internal and external school reviews, and our behavioural data that we use as a school to inform our work, the idea has had a significant impact on the number of positive interactions we have recorded,” he said.

He echoed Mr Chandler’s sentiments about education providing a long-term platform for Katherine in the race to develop the country’s north.

“The growth in performance for students across the Katherine region between Years 3 and 5 ... is often greater than the Australian mean,” Mr Cleary said.

“It means we are adding more value in many areas than other jurisdictions in the country.

“We need to celebrate the success of our schools and the enormous potential and growth of our wonderful students.”