Back to basics, years too late

Students in the early years of primary school during the national inquiry into the teaching of reading, led by a senior member of the Australian Council for Education Research, the late Ken Rowe, are now in their early 20s. The inquiry confirmed the irrefutable evidence of other research – that schools doing well in teaching reading had “an early and systematic emphasis on the explicit teaching of phonics’’. After years of exposing the systematic failures of the nation’s education system, especially in teaching the basic building blocks of reading and maths, The Australian welcomes the news that education ministers agreed on Friday that phonics, times tables and Australian history lessons will be mandatory in classrooms next year. Such reforms are decades overdue. Poor literacy, in particular, and its detrimental effects on subsequent learning, has been a serious stumbling block in schooling for decades, as stakeholders including school leavers, parents and employers know. We look forward to reading the curriculum when it is released.

Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers chief executive Allan Dougan was right when he told The Australian the changes to maths teaching were also a “step in the right direction’’. Young people need both problem-solving skills and the basic knowledge to apply those skills. At a time of skills shortages in workplaces, especially those proficient in STEM (science, technology engineering and maths) subjects, the changes are important for the economy and to boost school leavers’ opportunities to pursue satisfying careers.

The serious challenge now for education authorities, including teaching faculties in universities, is to prepare new teachers to teach the basics well. If the changes are not acted upon, the children who will continue to fall behind their peers are those who need an excellent education to overcome disadvantage, especially those whose families cannot fill in the education gaps, as many parents have been doing for years.

The mandating of Australian history, which is currently optional in years 9 and 10, is welcome. Students will be given a deeper understanding of Indigenous history and culture, the impact of British settlement on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the British settlers’ contribution to the building of modern Australia. Students will also study the impact of post-World War II immigration in Australia and the migrants’ significant contributions to the nation. If well taught, without ideological bias, such content should give young Australians a good knowledge of the nation’s history.