The " Education " Mess !

Australian schools are falling behind the education levels attained by our Asian neighbours and yet education costs represent a huge segment of this nation's Federal and state budgets.   NAPLAN was supposed to show us the improvements gained from teaching reform and  a better curriculum - and yet the results just in show that NAPLAN scores are flatlining.  In some instances they are even going backwards.

School principals put the blame on the new generation teachers coming into the classrooms from University.   Many of these newly minted teachers simply lack the training to teach today's phonics - which are an essential for those learning to read and write.   It is claimed that University entrance ATAR levels for teaching of 60 or lower apply and many believe that reaching an acceptable qualification needs an ATAR of at least 80 as the starting point.

Put simply, uneducated teachers are the reason the schools are turning out poorly educated kids and in the present labour market that dooms the victims to lost job opportunities and a lowered quality of life.

Putting this right is going to be a hard task because the changes needed will cross many boundaries and demolish a lot of old shibboleths that vested interests will defend vigorously.  It is obvious that if the Universities are turning out teachers who lack the skills and ability to teach the curriculum applicable in the school system - then we need to take the training regime apart and reinvent it to do the job that is needed.

The powerful teachers unions implacably resist any form of teacher evaluation and the very idea of better pay for teaching results is anathema.  Their mindset is stuck in promotion on the grounds of length of service and uniformity of pay levels.  There is a high degree of militancy and achieving the reforms needed can be expected to face stone walling at every level.

Unfortunately, giving Australia a decent level of education is entirely reliant on politics at both the Federal and state levels.  The states see education as their perogative and yet it also relies on Federal grants, and the concept of a national curriculum to cover the entire country is an essential long past implementation.

To fix this problem the education system turning out teachers needs to be completely remodelled and the teaching unions will have to accept constant teacher evaluation to keep them up to standard - and that means a fight to the death on many fronts.   The sixty-four dollar question is whether the politicians have the stamina to do what is necessary to force this change on both the universities and the schools - or whether it will simply degenerate into party politics - and go nowhere ?

For a start, the states and the Feds need to sop bickering and put together a national curriculum so we are all singing from the same song book.   That makes it easy to plan the teaching of teachers to fit in with that curriculum - and gain a national standard across the entire country.

Teaching is a noble profession and we need to attract the best and brightest if we are going to elevate the output from our schools.   As a profession, teaching needs to deliver pay levels commensurate with the results achieved and teachers need the regard showered on other worthy professions.   We need to make it clear - in salary level and standing - that teaching is not "just a job "  but a profession on the same standard as a doctor, scientist or barrister.

The only way this can be achieved -  is at the political level.  It will take legislation to force change.  As an example, look how NAPLAN has been sabotaged and derided by a teaching union and there will be violent opposition from entrenched positions. It all depends if both sides of politics has the will to agree together and implement an education system that will allow this nation to reach it's potential  !