Opinion: Ambitious education targets are one thing, achieving them another
The Education Minister should read the room following her “unapologetic” pronouncements on literacy and numeracy targets, writes Kylie Lang.
Kylie Lang
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Education Minister Grace Grace makes “no apologies for setting ambitious and stretching targets” when it comes to the literacy and numeracy of our children.
Good for her. Now read the room.
We don’t want apologies; we want action to lift standards.
Parents, and teachers with skin in the game, don’t need fresh data to know Queensland kids are failing to meet basic literacy and numeracy targets.
They know it. It’s in the standard of homework completed, in the results of tests and the lack of self-confidence too many children feel about their “abilities” in English and maths.
Feeling “dumb” or no good at either subject is the legacy they inherit from a system that has consistently failed to upskill and support its teachers and follow best practice in pedagogy.
Other places around the world can get it right, such as Finland and Singapore, but poor old Queensland can’t fathom how to raise the bar.
This week’s State Government Budget papers reveal state school students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 missed the department’s targets on the percentage of kids needed to meet the national minimum standard in reading, writing and numeracy.
The 2021-22 statistics show older children fared the worst, signalling in no uncertain terms that if educational milestones are missed early on then catching up is difficult.
The Government also missed its employment and training targets, with thousands of people failing to complete apprenticeships or traineeships.
It’s a steep slide down when children are saddled with a substandard education model.
Ms Grace, who is also Minister for Industrial Relations, seems more interested in getting rid of “gendered” language in IR laws – scrapping “maternity leave” for “birth-related leave” as reported on Thursday – than addressing the elephant in the classroom.
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