Indoctrinating students for fun and profit: Australian Education Minister tries to hold back the tide. By Alan Tudge, the Education Minister in the Australian Government.
I am disappointed by the draft national curriculum published by the independent Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. …
Learning the times tables was pushed back to year 4 from year 3. In other countries it starts in year 2. …
Evidence-based content, such as phonics, was minimised.
The biggest problem, though, was in the draft history curriculum. It gave the impression nothing bad happened before 1788 and almost nothing good has happened since. It downplayed our Western heritage. It omitted significant figures in our history such as Menzies, Howard and Whitlam. It almost erased Christianity from our past, despite it being the single most important influence on our modern development, according to our greatest living historian, Geoffrey Blainey. It introduced ridiculous concepts such as asking year 2 students — seven-year-olds — to ask whether statues could be deemed racist.
History matters. The left use false versions to steer the ignorant to their policy positions, and thus to installing lefties into well-paid positions of power:
I remain particularly concerned when it comes to the history curriculum. These are matters core to who we are as a nation. We should expect young Australians leaving school to understand how our nation is one of the most free, wealthy, tolerant and egalitarian societies in all of human history, and a magnet for millions of migrants.
Our Western political institutions are not always perfect but think of what they have given us: democratic government; equality before the law freedom of association and speech; universal education; strong human rights.
These are very precious and very rare institutions. If students don’t learn this, they won’t defend it as previous generations did. Lowy Institute polling shows 40 per cent of young Australians say that non-democratic government may be preferable or that it does not matter what kind of government system we have. That is a catastrophe.
Just as Indigenous Australians (and other Australians) celebrate and fiercely defend Indigenous culture and heritage, we should all celebrate and fiercely defend our Western liberal culture. Students should leave school with a love of country and a sense of optimism and hope that we live in the greatest country on earth. …
The influence of authoritarianism and communism is growing in the world, particularly with the rise of an assertive China. Fundamentalist Islam remains a dominant force in many countries, as we are seeing in Afghanistan. There has not been a more important time since the 1940s to teach children the origins, values and singular greatness of liberal democracy.
Dumbing down and indoctrinating students. How progressive!
The bureaucracy will get their way, however. If necessary, they will simply wait-out the uncooperative minister. The bureaucracy and the modern left are joined at the hip — it’s hard to say who took over whom.
