I have always believed that the biggest risk we take in life is to be born. None of us knows, or has chosen who our parents will be, or what our circumstances will be like. I am a passionate supporter of public education because I believe it is (properly funded and supported) one of the best mechanisms we have to help redress the inevitable inequalities visited upon all of us at birth. If this be new age gobbledygook, so be it.
Worse, our current system is a weird kind of competition. We heavily weight everything in favour of those who are already privileged and against those who already have the least. Entrenching privilege in education- which our current system does- is actually a tax on society. It means the best and brightest do not necessarily get access to the best jobs, this has consequences for all of us. Equality of opportunity is a real issue, and it is not merely important to those who directly experience less chances. It affects us all. This is the pink elephant in our education system that no-one wants to talk about.
How can we have real competition and excellence when we systematically disenfranchise some kids at the age of 5?

The language used indicates Kevin was beginning to run out of breath during his diatribe. The increasing use of derogatory terms and insults is a concern, as it reveals some deep-seated prejudices.

Kevin declares the unions have made schools 'part of the ideological state apparatus'. Is this why Mssrs Howard and Abbott have been sounding off about tying school funding to 'values education'....

The chicken or the egg?

If left-wing values are taught so biasedly in public schools then how come all those drongo's voted for John Howard?

Donno
I don't believe your arguement to be correct but,
What is the difference between teachers teaching left wing views and John-o spending the millions on brainwashing people into believing that AWA's are the way to go?

Besides what is your problem with social justice? Shouldn't students be capable of fighting for their own rights. If they don't they will be caught in a rut of social injustice like the US and have nothing to resort to but violence and drugs. I am sure that you will never understand the conept of social injustice as you are an old, white, employed, educated, rich man.

And please tell me what your definition of "New Age" is. Because when I went to school they didn't teach me about my star-signs and read my tarot cards for me.