Federal Labor will develop a national curriculum for all Australian schools to improve the education for our children in the basic learning areas of maths, the sciences, English and history.
At present, there is no standard curriculum in Australia - meaning students in each state are pursuing different syllabuses and materials.
“This is a matter of ensuring that all Australian children get a high quality education no matter what part of Australia they live in” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“We must end the blame game in education between the States and Territories and Canberra.”
Working collaboratively with the States and Territories, Labor will set up a National Curriculum Board which will develop a rigorous, consistent, and quality curriculum for all Australian students from kindergarten to year 12.
“The new National Curriculum will cover what all young Australians should know and what they should be able to do,” Ms Vamvakinou said.
Within three years, the National Curriculum Board will develop for agreement by Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers a curriculum for students from kindergarten to Year 12 for the core areas of Maths, the Sciences, English and History.
Each year, about 80,000 school age students relocate with their families across State and Territory borders.
“Changing schools can be a very traumatic experience for young children” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“What makes the transition even harder is that they can often be disadvantaged in their new classroom because they have been studying different curriculum.”
“A family relocation can mean months of catch up for a child. It should be a smooth transition” Ms Vamvakinou said.
“Labor’s plan will help ensure that whether a student is sitting behind a desk in Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin, Cairns, Sydney or Adelaide they will learn the same basics, in the same way."
Flexibility will be retained to ensure curricula are relevant to State, regional and local circumstances and to allow for innovation in the classroom.
Some examples of the knowledge and skills that could be covered in a national curriculum include:
Younger Maths students should be able to:
· Problem solve and understand multiplication tables; and · Understand fractions, placement of decimal points, and identify geometric shapes.
Upper primary Science students should be able to:
· Understand scientific concepts and principles, such as gravity and our solar system.
Primary English students should be able to:
· Understand basic grammar, including the use of a full stop in a sentence; and · Meet consistent spelling competency levels.
Senior History students should:
· Know both factual history, but also have an ability to apply critical analysis to solve problems; and · Have a systematic understanding of Australian history.
And older English students will have a consistent recommended reading list of Australian literature and the classics.
Contact: Alex Kouttab 0417 541 465
