Australian Education at Crossroads
The Only Certainty for Australian Schools is that They Will Change
A number of forces are driving Australian education towards radical change. Some of these seem incompatible. Which will prevail?
Australian education will change radically over the next few years. It is not a matter of whether it should, but rather a case of which of the multiple proposals for reform will prevail. Many are very well articulated, detailed and reasoned, yet they are not all compatible. Here are some of the most significant pressures at work.
The OECD Report
A 2007 report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development sparked much public comment in Australia on its release. It showed that the nation invested less in its public schools, universities and training institutions than other developed countries. Front runner for the Prime Ministership Kevin Rudd said it proved the government had been a failure in education. The Government rejected the report’s findings.
Senate Inquiry into Academic Standards in Schools
A 2007 Senate report on the quality of Australian education made a number of strong recommendations to government. Perhaps the most controversial one will be that teachers’ should be paid more in order to raise the quality of the profession. This will fuel the already fiery debate about merit-pay (or “performance-pay”) for teachers.
Push for National Curriculum and Standards
After years of stubborn refusal to abandon State-based curricula, the State governments have finally agreed to move to a national curriculum. The federal government espouses the same aim. They have also agreed that national testing will replace annual State tests, and so tests of students across all Australian schools in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will begin in 2008. Nevertheless, vigorous argument persists about curricula and evaluation, both inside and outside the education community.
National Charter for Primary Education
Following extensive discussion, the Australian Primary Principals Association has released its revised Charter for Primary School Education. The focus is on the need for a substantial increase in resources and concentration on a core-curriculum comprising English and literacy, mathematics, science and history. Areas like Music, Art & Sport would have less status; about half the lesson-time would go to maths and English.
Languages Other than English
At the same time there are calls for much more effective teaching of languages other than English in all schools. Only a few years ago Australia ranked highly in the OECD tables for the teaching of foreign languages, but now it is well down the list. Proponents advance many excellent reasons why every school student should be learning a second language. The highly popular Federal Opposition's policy takes a similar line.
National Music Education Review
An unprecedented national campaign to raise the status of music education led to a Senate review of this subject in schools and the consequent establishment of a body to make recommendations to the Minister of Education. A central recommendation was that every school student should have access to regular lessons from a music specialist. The government made much noise about implementing the proposals until the Ministry changed hands, but then went quiet about the matter. Will the many proponents for more and better music education accept inaction?
Shortage of Trades Skills
For some time Australia has suffered from a dearth of skilled tradespeople. As the economy booms and long-term demand for skilled labour keeps rising, what is to be done? Rudd has pledged $2.5 billion to have trades taught in every secondary school, both public and private. The Howard Government has already launched a program to establish a number of technical colleges throughout Australia.
The political winds are obviously changing in Australia, but the direction is not clear. How will education be affected?
