Changes to HSC curriculum put academics at loggerheads

A ROW has broken out between education chiefs and curriculum academics over claims the new HSC English syllabus has been “watered down”.

President of the NSW Board of Studies Tom Alegounarias says students will have a greater depth of knowledge of lesser number of texts.

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A ROW has broken out between education chiefs and curriculum academics over claims the new HSC English syllabus has been “watered down”.

Classics including Shakespeare and Dickens along with extra lessons in writing skills, grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and sentence structure are at the centre of the biggest overhaul of the syllabus in 20 years.

But the NSW Education Standards Authority, which unveiled the new syllabus to schools today, was forced to deny claims by a former chief examiner of HSC English that the new syllabus lacked rigour.

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HSC students will now study the classics like Charles Dickens.

Out with the new and in with the old like William Shakespeare.

Associate Professor Jacqueline Manuel of the University of Sydney accused the authority of putting out “misinformation” by claiming the new English syllabus had been strengthened.

“They have watered down the content … a student will be able to finish Year 12 without reading a novel,” she said.

“In 1965 students had to study 12 texts and now they have four, and of the four they don’t have to read a novel or do poetry.”

Prof Manuel’s attack drew a strong response from standards authority chairman Tom Alegounarias who dismissed the criticism as a “false point”.

“You cannot get through the curriculum now without having studied great literature,” Mr Alegounarias said.

“We have reduced the number of texts and choices — there is no doubt about that — so those that are there are studied by the students in greater depth.

“There are mandatory units in advanced and standard English. In the syllabus it is described as ‘a close study of literature’.”

Mr Alegounarias dismissed the criticism as a “false point”.

The renewed emphasis on Shakespeare has sparked debate over the value of classical literature to students in the digital age.

One Telegraph reader said: “Shakespeare while brilliant and certainly worth studying is not preparing kids for the modern world.”

But another commented: “Shakespeare is infinitely better than many modern writers with the possible exception of George Orwell.

“In every play there are valuable life lessons and much wisdom to be learned.”

Another reader suggested students should study classic Australian works including Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson or current authors.