What is a point to waste money on educating those already born to be, regardless of their real professional levels, managers for all NESB (and ESB from non-Anglo-background - ESBnAng) ?

NESB and ESBnAng should become good skilled slaves, doing manual jobs well for peanuts– and that is a realistic priority for an accustomed way of living enjoying by the A U S T R A L I A N S.

“The problem that I see has to do with Priorities. The Labor Governments first priority seems to be to those that want to come into this country and are from NESB (non-English speaking backgrounds), not to those that were born here or have been brought up here.

Priority in education is for NESB students first.

The Labor Government in relation to employment neglects the education of Australians, even in relation to developing skills, and then wants to bring in those from abroad.

I believe the Labor Government needs to keep bringing in those from abroad to boost their votes and as a result standards have dropped.

Liberals always looks after their own better than Labor. I know which one I would prefer.
Posted by Jolanda, Wednesday, 11 October 2006 9:38:51 PM "

MichaelK. You didn't understand my post.

What I was trying to say is that there are so many people already here in Australia who need to be a priority, they are not becoming well educated and they are on welfare, they are taking drugs, they are having children when they are teenagers, they are not living a wholesome and healthy life that is self sufficient.

The priority should be on those that are already here first. Then bring in those from abroad when we have dealt with the issues here that affect Australians and is creating poverty and mental health issues.

When NESB get priority over Australians I have a problem. It should at least be equal.

Interesting discussion, and I suspect people have been bemoaning the state of the current curriculum ever since we've had one. As a parent, I don't get too hung up about curriculum, my girls ( one on a gap year between school and uni, the other in year 10) seem to have learnt at their ordinary comprehensive public school more or less what I did 30 odd years ago. They read well, think well, have good social skills, have and can argue their opinions, are better at maths than I ever dreamed of being. The awful HSC distorts things a bit, particularly in english where they seem to be rewarded for bad (read academic) writing rather than good,plain, engaging english - but they know its a game, play it and learn their real writing skills on my space. They have learnt how to learn, how to mix, how to think and how to laugh - particularly at themselves - and that is all I would ever have asked.
just a couple of other thoughts - contrary to one posters contention, girls have outperformed boys at school ever since they started going to school in any numbers, for at least 100 years. its just our prejudices were so deeply ingrained about girls and boys that we simply didn't believe the evidence of our own eyes until second wave feminism in the 60s and 70s pointed out the gross unfairness.
Secondly, I heartily agree with the poster who pointed out that standards may appear to have fallen because so many more kids now go on to year 12 and uni than ever did in the past. This is for good economic reasons, half of the full time jobs for teenage boys have disappeared in the last 20 years, and an astonishing two thirds of full time jobs for teenage girls have also gone. No wonder they stay at school, what else is there for them?

Oh and before anybody jumps at me, when I said when NESB (non English Speaking background) get priority over Australians what I meant to say was whe NESB Australians get priority over non NESB Australians then I have a problem.

It should at least be equal as everybody has a certain level of disadvantage and NESB students actually go to year 12 in seriously higher numbers than non NESB and are often signficantly more successful.

They dont need priority.

Jolanda,

Yours explanations of 13 October 2006 12:50:48 PM

(MichaelK. You didn't understand my post.

What I was trying to say is that there are so many people already here in Australia who need to be a priority…

The priority should be on those that are already here first. Then bring in those from abroad when we have dealt with the issues here that affect Australians and is creating poverty and mental health issues.

When NESB get priority over Australians I have a problem. It should at least be equal.) perfectly testifies to YOUR misunderstanding of MY post because one cannot even imagine that NESB could participate here and know perfectly what a PRIORITY they have in a land of racists.

The rodent has $10 billion in budget surplus, why don't you tories urge him to spend some of it on improving education.