The Victorian Minister for Education has announced that the state’s senior school curriculum will undergo a review. The stated focus of the review is to consider whether “there should be a more explicit requirement for students to meet minimum standards of literacy and numeracy …“. The review appears to be strongly supported by industry, with a representative of the Australian Industry Group noting that “many companies complained school leavers made mistakes in spelling and grammar, and could not do basic maths“.
Dumb and dumber.
First, let’s note that Victorian schools have 12 years (plus prep) to teach the 3 Rs. That works out to 4 years (plus prep/3) per R, yet somehow it’s not working. Somehow the standards are sufficiently low that senior students can scale an exhausting mountain of assignments and exams, and still too many students come out lacking basic skills.
Secondly, the Minister has determined that the review will be conducted by the VCAA, the body already responsible for Victorian education.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, then the definition of insane governance is expecting the arrogant clown factory responsible for years of educational idiocy to have any willingness or ability to fix it.
Clearly a lack of social justice programs in schools, or else everyone would be equal, and then no-one would be prejudiced against people who can’t spell, read, or do maths. Its just capitalism that wants these prejudicial outcomes. And anyway, proper spelling is racist. And who says ‘rithmatic has right answers? There is no such thing as truth, so every answer is valid. Though, as this website has indicated, bureaucrats’ answers are more valid than others’.
Anyway, everyone knows school bureaucrats need more money, and teachers too.
I’m not sure the goal of schooling was ever to make everyone equal. To give everyone the same basic opportunities seems a bit better, but even then, there are some students who won’t be able to enrol in certain subjects at VCE level because they simply don’t have the right preparation. I’m not just talking about Mathematics either, but Literature, foreign languages, even popular studies such as history can be beyond the reach of some. And that is fine. So long as everyone is given the same opportunity and quality of instruction in the basics.
Of course, the ongoing debate is about what “the basics” should be. Basic, they are not, it would seem!
Sorry been flat out doing semester 2 timetables, just had time to read this. Thanks for your analysis Marty this is really important for VCE teachers to know-
‘the Minister has determined that the review will be conducted by the VCAA, the body already responsible for Victorian education.’
I think it was more howling at the moon than analysis.