There is a truism that says " You can take a horse to water but you can not make it drink " ! It is equally relevant that you can not force an education curriculum on a student who does not want to learn - and yet that is one of the proposals being touted in the runup to this coming election.
An extra billion dollars is being promised to schools but it will only be allocated where teenage pupils are forced to complete an English and Humanities subject or study Maths and Science to receive their ATAR.
This is opposed by both the State government and the Teachers Federation who see it as filling classrooms with disengaged and unruly students who disrupt the routine and make it impossible for staff to teach the hard core who are serious about going on to further education.
Perhaps we are failing to relearn the lessons that were so apparent in the distant past. There was a time when education for many ended with primary school and only the gifted went on further. Those were the days when ambitious people went to Technical Colleges - at night and in their own time - to gain skills that improved their earnings and career prospects.
Over many decades the hallowed " Tech has had many name changes. It was more recently known as TAFE but it somehow went out of fashion. The subjects taught retreated and the money was cut and today it is a mere shadow of itself, where it still exists. The glamour careers are the people who construct algorithm codes in the computer industry or go on to earn a degree which comes with a license to make money. This is the age of the entrepreneur. Some of the richest people in the world are drop outs who started their own business - and Facebook comes to mind.
We seem to be looking back on the " one size fits all " mode for education - and clearly that will not work. It is an ever changing work place and today the old " learn on the job " careers require at least a basic university entry level. At the same time, the traditional " Trades " are now so in demand that they command earnings that rival many professional career returns. Employers are training lesser numbers of " apprentices " and there is a danger of a skills shortage across the entire Trades spectrum.
Unfortunately, this whole " Education " issue has become ensnared in politics. It is an emotive subject that can be exploited from many angles and once political parties declare their intentions the masses tend to dig in behind the political barricades. There is a very real danger that in the heat of the political fracas the intent of what is hoped to achieve may be forgotten.
This diktat to herd the masses into compulsory English and Humanities - and Maths and Science - is a recipe for disaster. It fails to recognise the disparity of human nature and the objective seems to be to churn out cookie cutter graduates who will go on to carve out professional careers.
In the life of the average person there comes a turning point. Some are destined to work with their hands - and some will work with their head. In education, that fork in the road needs to be clearly recognised - and accommodated. That can not be achieved by a single level of learning applied to all.
Call it " Tech " or " TAFE ", providing the type of training for those not academically suited to Maths and Science is essential, both to prevent a disruptive element forced into unsuitable courses and to provide the type of training that will allow a rewarding career to be achieved.
Perhaps education strayed off course - and is now needs to return to come full circle !
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