Opinion: When students are taught the wrong topic, it’s clear the system is broken

The education bungle that has seen eight Queensland schools teach students the wrong topic, as the search widens to find out why and who is responsible, shows the system really is broken, writes Kylie Lang.

Brisbane State High School students have been stitched up.

It must have felt like April Fool’s Day for the poor kids preparing for a history exam on Augustus only to find it was on Julius Caesar.

This spectacular bungle, initially thought to involve only Brisbane State High School has now extended to seven others, possibly more as authorities investigate.

How did these schools make such a critical error?

The curriculum wasn’t dumped on them at the last minute.

It was sent out more than 12 months ago, with the inference being that all staff had to do was read the memo, and they failed.

Brisbane State High School is embroiled in an exam fiasco.

Now, seniors at these schools are cramming on all things Julius Caesar ahead of Wednesday’s exam, as well as managing the added stress this has caused.

We’re told the Year 12 classes will file “illness and misadventure” applications to cut them some slack when marking is done.

Misadventure, all right.

The Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority says it is now checking with the state’s 172 other high schools which teach the subject to ensure they haven’t made the same mistake.

It says no student will be disadvantaged in this final exam, worth 25 per cent of their ancient history grade, and which goes towards their ATAR.

Meanwhile, an Education Queensland spokesperson says the department is “deeply sorry for this mistake” and is “supporting students and families during this time”.

It has not been lost on observers that Queensland teachers are currently demanding pay rises amid claims of being hardly done by the system – but what is clear from this latest mess is that the system is broken on a number of levels.

While it is appropriate for the QCAA to offer rescue remedies to affected students, there must be consequences for those who allowed this to happen in the first place.

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Originally published as Opinion: When students are taught the wrong topic, it’s clear the system is broken