Our students deserve an A+ curriculum, not an F or a C

Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge spoke for many parents on Wednesday when he told question time he was dismayed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s proposal to postpone the teaching of the times table from Year 3 to Year 4. In some nations it is taught in Year 2. “But I’ll tell you what is suggested to be taught in Year 2, and that is to suggest or to analyse whether a statue is racist … when you are seven.” Mr Tudge’s biggest problem with the curriculum, justifiably, is its miserable view of our nation’s history. His promise, that “frankly, we’re not going to stand for that’’, was reassuring. If ever the portfolio needs a hands-on minister it is now. Most Australians would be as appalled as Mr Tudge by the new draft curriculum’s reference to Anzac Day as a contested idea.

He will elaborate on his concerns in a speech on Friday to the Centre for Independent Studies. He will outline why there has not been a more important time since the 1940s to teach children the origins, values and singular greatness of liberal democracy. Understanding Australia’s heritage is vital in view of the rise of a more assertive China and the dominance of fundamentalist Islam in many countries such as Afghanistan. Young people leaving school, he will say, need an understanding of our liberal democracy and how it is that “we are one of the wealthiest, freest, most tolerant and most egalitarian countries in human history” to which millions of newcomers have immigrated. If young people leaving school do not understand this they will not be prepared to defend the nation as previous generations did.

Mr Tudge is correct to describe as a catastrophe the finding in Lowy Institute polling showing that 40 per cent of young Australians aged 18 to 29 say non-democratic government may be preferable or that it does not matter what kind of government system we have. It is an indictment of years of poor history and social studies teaching. “Our Western political institutions are not always perfect but think of what they have given us: one person, one vote democratic government; equality before the law; freedom of association and speech; universal education; strong human rights; incredible wealth,” he will point out. “These are very precious and very rare institutions – rare still in the world today and particularly rare throughout human history. We cannot take that for granted.” Students also need to understand that our democracy is based on our Christian and Western origins, and to grasp the importance of patriotism and freedom. Geoffrey Blainey, whom Mr Tudge regards as Australia’s “greatest living historian”, told The Australian the fashion in most schools during the past 30 years has been to denigrate Australia, its history and its way of life. The “condemnation of this country” had gone too far, he said. John Howard also threw his weight behind a more robust teaching of liberal democracy. A curriculum that did not emphasise the history and philosophy behind Australia’s system of governance was highly deficient, he said.

Mr Tudge also will focus on strengthening the basic educational building blocks in the curriculum. These include retaining the times table in Year 3 and the use of phonics in teaching young children to read. Irrefutable evidence has been mounting for decades about the value of phonics in teaching reading. Mr Tudge needs to ensure it is also included in all university primary teaching courses.

Earlier this year he rejected ACARA’s draft of the new national curriculum, which in his view rated an F. Revisions of the draft, he says, have improved it to a C. But our students, who have been falling behind in international testing for too long despite millions of extra taxpayer dollars spent, deserve an A+ curriculum. For the sake of current students and future generations, Mr Tudge is right to persevere until ACARA’s draft meets the standard he expects.