What mentality is that, individual?

Run hampster, run.

What mentality is that, individual?
Otokonoko,
That one !

If we want to improve educational outcomes, rather than add jobs for teachers & education "experts", it really is quite simple.

All we have to do is study, or simply reintroduce the curriculum, techniques & class sizes that applied in Oz 50 years ago.

My kids [& most of their compatriots], who had every chance [plus some] that I & my compatriots had, have similar IQs & aptitudes, & had much more help at home, & in out of school coaching, came out of school with an much less knowledge than we did. Two achieved OP3 & 4, so were considered high achievers.

I am still being surprised that my daughter, who did the highest levels of math, physics & chemistry, then a science/education BSc still today does not have a knowledge of much that we had when we left high school.

Unfortunately it would still take 30 years or so to fill the schools with teachers as well educated as ours were.

Hasbeen's post highlights the reality of the standard of education these days. I have youngish people around me who can not spell, can't add up, get confused with left-hand vs right hand threaded bolts, metric vs imperial etc. Only a few days ago I asked a chap to bring me an 8 mm spanner, he brought an 18 mm despite having seen the 8 mm bolt to be undone.
Now these are young people who have had the privilege of Govt college education all paid for & even pocket money provided.
Their teachers have mostly retired on extremely handsome Superannuation & this is what we get for it ?
I recall asking one of those teachers twenty five years ago about the cost & point of this education & I was ridiculed of not having any foresight. Yeah right !

individual, I think your most recent post answers my question much more clearly than your actual response to that question - and I agree.

The problem, I think, is that those who 'run with the pack' in our education system - those who ascend to policymaking positions - are unwilling to ask the tough questions, and dismiss those tough questions when they arise.

I think the central question we should be asking when reviewing our education system (which certainly needs considerable review) is 'why do we put our kids through thirteen years of schooling?'

What do we want our education system to achieve? What is the end product we wish to produce? Self-reliant citizens? Compassionate citizens? Effective employees? Knowledgeable people? People prepared for further study? All of these? None of these?

The next question we need to ask is 'how do we achieve these outcomes?'

And we need to be willing to make BIG changes - even a complete overhaul - if necessary. In my opinion, the best education system is not the one that ranks in the Top 5 in PISA or TIMSS or another comparative study. It is the one that best achieves its purpose and serves its community appropriately. If that system happens to score highly on those tests, then that's a nice pat on the back. If not, then those tests are assessing things that are irrelevant to our system.

It seems to me that our government is taking the wrong path. It is seeking to use education as a status symbol rather than a public service. We're going to pour a lot of money into that status symbol and still have graduates who can't distinguish 8mm from 18mm.