2GB Afternoons with Chris Smith
10 Jan 2014
Transcipt E&OE TRANSCRIPT
Interview — 2GB Afternoons with Chris Smith
10 January 2014
SUBJECT: Review of the National Curriculum
LUKE GRANT: The performance of Australia's education system has been, we know, in decline in recent years as our schools seem to slip further and further behind compared to other countries. We see those cables come out and it's rarely a good story. This is despite the fact that year after year there appear to be record amounts of dollars being pumped into the system.
The Federal Education Minister Christopher Pyne has, like many of the announcer on this radio station, been a strident critic of what is being taught in our schools and today he's announced a wide ranging inquiry into what might be taught. The inquiry is due to report by midyear and is tasked with reviewing what is seen by many as potentially partisan and left leaning curriculum that might well be part of the cause why the system is in decline.
The Minister joins me on the line. All the best for the New Year, Minister. Nice to talk to you again.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Thank you, Luke. Thank you for having me on the show.
LUKE GRANT: Not at all. It's a pleasure. I'm glad you're available. Why do you think we need an inquiry when you seem to be and many of our listeners are of the view that the thing's wrong, go about changing it? What is the likely outcome here? Are you looking to be sure that it is the curriculum that is out of whack or do you know that and you're looking for a direction?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well there's been quite a bit of criticism of the curriculum over the last few years, criticisms like it being too overcrowded, too rigid, not celebrating Australia's history as well as talking about the negative parts. And what I'd like the curriculum to do is tell the truth and the truth is that sure our history has been littered with the mistreatment of indigenous Australians, that's true and that should be in the curriculum but what should also be in the curriculum is that we are the kind of country we are today because of the benefits of western civilisation at least in 1788.
And what I've asked these reviewers to do, Ken Wiltshire and Kevin Donnelly who are experts is advise me midyear how the curriculum can be improved because we want our students to get the best chance possible to get a good education and the results are telling us that they're going backwards. At election I promised that we would address issues to do with teacher quality, curriculum, parental engagement and school autonomy and so today I'm announcing an aspect of that that is to do with the curriculum.
LUKE GRANT: See I can hear people cheering from here. It's a very decent and intelligent thing to do but how do you then implement it? I can't help but think that there'll be people within, the teachers, the various teachers' movements around the place who'll be saying well no, this isn't a good idea, we shan't be doing that.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well unfortunately the Australian Education Union has already come out and attacked it which is disappointing but I think you'll find that all education ministers, whether they're Labor or Liberal, want to get the best possible curriculum for our students. And I want to work cooperatively with the states and territories to bring that about at least in the National Curriculum which the Australian Government and the states and territories have already agreed to in science, English, maths and history.
LUKE GRANT: I've heard you on this before, Christopher, and you were excellent on it. Tell us why and there has been, it's fair to say, money thrown at education by the previous I think three governments, Rudd, Gillard, Rudd and the result is we've gone backwards. Why isn't money the answer for those that still think it is?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well one of the things that's interesting in the comparisons with other countries, Luke, is that there are OECD countries like us that spend less per capita on their students and yet they get better results. The other important fact for people to remember is that we've put forty per cent more money into education in the last ten years and the results have gone backwards.
Now those people who think money's the answer find both of those facts very difficult to argue with so what we've identified is that the curriculum, a principal having more autonomy in their school, a very high quality teacher and parents being deeply engaged with their children's education are the key reasons why students do well and that's what we want to promote.
LUKE GRANT: If they report back to you in the middle of the year it's not like we're building school halls or libraries, chuckle, chuckle, chuckle, you would imagine it's possible to make changes quickly. Would it be?
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Well I'm very much hoping that we'll get recommendations by midyear and then I'll work with the states and territories over the next six months. I'm hopeful, it's ambitious but I'm hopeful that if we can improve the curriculum that every state and territory will want to do that and therefore we can start rolling out changes if they're necessary in 2015, because we want our students to get on with the job of getting a good education. There shouldn't be any delays or any partisan reason why we shouldn't get the best curriculum possible.
LUKE GRANT: Spot on. Always good to chat, Minister. Thank you so much.
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Thank you, Luke.
LUKE GRANT: Alright, that's the Education Minister Christopher Pyne. Well overdue. Something that they committed to during the campaign and they are delivering on and I think that's a very good thing. 131 873 is the open line number.
Ends