| History curriculum disaster |
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| Written by Professor David Flint AM | |
| Thursday, 30 December 2010 | |
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Whenever a problem is identified in some part of Australia, one of the suggested solutions seems to involve a national response. This assumes that the as yet unknown national response will always be the best response.
[Continued below] Federal Governments of both parties have a poor record in education. Take civics education where incidentally the committee appointed to develop civics contained not one constitutional monarchist.In 2007, after millions were poured into civic education, Year 10 students were asked "what is the Australian Constitution?" and given four possible answers: the rules about how the major Australian political parties are run; the policies of the Australian federal government; the framework for the ways Australia is governed; all the laws that Australian citizens must obey. (“Civics education fails to deliver,” 18 February, 2009) Only 34 per cent identified the correct answer, the framework for the way Australia is governed - one in three. Despite this failure, both parties have decided that this justifies the federal authorities going into other areas. (In the meantime, and without one tax dollar, ACM has launched a new version of its education project ) …national history curriculum disaster… A glance at one of the results of this federal incursion, the national history curriculum, once again demonstrates the inability of the federal authorities to produce something really worthwhile. The noted authority Dr Kevin Donnelly says the next generation are to be taught history through ‘the politically correct prism of Aboriginal, Asian and environmental perspectives’. ( See the Australian Conservative 1 June 2010 and "The Rudd-Gillard Education Revolution, An Evaluation", Australian Conservative 28 December, 2010) “Forget,” he says “the importance of Australia’s Western heritage or the impact of science, technology and industry in overcoming poverty and eradicating disease.” There is no mention of the blindingly obvious fact that our political institutions go back through the Glorious Revolution to the Magna Carta, and overall, little reference to the British contribution to Australia. The curriculum he says, is politically correct and even demonstrates political bias. Both he and Dr. David Daintree president of Campion College lament the slight reference to Christianity, given that our Judeo Christian values are one of the pillars of our nation: “Christianity has role in learning,” The Australian, 29 December, 2010. Now the new Baillieu Victorian government has indicated it will delay applying the national curriculum in core subjects. The New South Wales Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Barry O’Farrell, has indicated a similar reserve. If young Australians are to be taught nothing or almost nothing about their heritage, how will they be able to appreciate it? Education is far too important to be left in the hands of politically correct elites. In the meantime, federal governments have not shown themselvesf adept in fulfilling their core federal functions. Why are they so determined to move into matters reserved to the States? |
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