Ah, a man from Qld, so I believe, who has worked in the 'edumacation' industry (for it is nothing less than an old factory based industry) and produced a slim book well worth reading, entitled 'Back to drastics', published by USQ Toowoomba and well worth reading to discover not only how empty our current edumacators are, but also just how Qld came to be at the bottom of the edumacation heap, apart from the NT, which takes joke status on most things anyway.

It is beyond comprehension what Qld has done with its school system over the last three decades, not that it ever shone, judging by the Qld of the Joh era.

But, as Phil Cullen describes in his slim volume, it was at least trying to make a go of it back in the late 60s early 70s with innovations such as Gabbinbar SS in Toowoomba.

All such good intentions have been swept away by the corporate nonsense that Phil describes in this article, and by such as Kevin Rudd who, never mind his Damascus conversion away from neo-liberalism, was a stauch advocate for all things neoliberal that we find still infecting his current edumacation policies, such as the lawyer from NY NY (who I read somewhere may possibly be under some form of GFC bank fraud question mark).

But who Phil might be thinking of here in Qld to run the system it is impossible to know, given that the talent stable has been emptied, the imagination section is bare, the thinking-through-policies department is bankrupt, and the only system on display is the 'mates' church network one.

Such matters as 'same start ages' are small fry compared to stopping the intrusion of ID into science, a common 'find' in EQ schools, halting the invasion of 'Christian mentors' being allowed to recruit for Jesus, and stemming the tide of 'chaplains' spruiking evangelism and Hillsong programmes in most of our state high schools.

So great are the failures of Premier Bligh and EQ that it is unlikely Qld will ever get a half decent state education system.

Michael Couts-Trotter is the director general of education in NSW. He has absolutely no qualifications in education and has been convicted of drug offenses.

How did he get appointed? He is the husband of Tanya Plibersik a federal Labor minister. Talk about jobs for the boys. Phil, you are so spot on!

I understand the authors frustration and the need for change in education, by the time I got through his article and had a look at his web site, I realised he hasn't got a clue and even if his intention is good, he and his ilk are part of the problem.

Our education system is designed for expediency and supporting those who make the best economic or academic slaves, not educating children in the realities and methodologies of life. I agree the system is run by those without knowledge or experience, including educators, whose only experience in life is from schooling and maybe a part time job. They have no real experience, just reflect upon their pupils the same lack of knowledge and experience, which exasperates the situation in following generations of pupils and teachers. We need a completely new approach to education using people with relevant life experiences to teach the young.

Those trapped in school to maintain statistical propaganda, along with everyone else at 16, should undertake a couple of years varied work experience in every aspect of the public service, essential services and the health system. This would solve youth unemployment, revitalise the entire system and give our youth real life experiences before going onto higher education or deciding a career. Let's start teaching kids how to live responsibly, knowledgeably and be good citizens first. Rather than teaching them to be as confused as their teachers about life.

ALICE SPRINGS NEWS
April 9, 2009
http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au

A remote community where all adults work & kids go to school. By KIERAN FINNANE.

By KIERAN FINNANE

A remote community where all able-bodied adults work, where children go to school every day, where the community raises most of its own food, where people are strong in their own language and culture while also speaking English and interacting with 'the mainstream': this community exists ... it's the Papunya of memory for Alison Anderson, now the Territory's Indigenous Affairs Minister, and her-sister-in-law Linda Anderson, a teacher.
It's the place where they spent happy childhoods but where today, as in many other remote communities, they fear for the futures of the community's children.
Alison lived her first years in Haasts Bluff, born, like so many of her generation and those before her, in the bush - under a tree in the creek.
There was a ration depot at Haasts Bluff and a Lutheran mission. Aboriginal people initially lived in humpies across the creek. They would get their water from a soakage.
After a while the missionaries moved people into 'sheet of iron housing'.
'They were nice houses compared to humpies. We felt really proud, they were like little mansions!' says Alison.
She was eight years old when her family moved to Papunya. A ration depot had been established there; the community was closer to her family's country; there were more job opportunities.

---DELETED---

Pity that was 30+ years ago !

Go read the rest, is a good article ;-)

open link http://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/1610.html

The NT Education system has been a dismal failure, particularly for rural communities, despite ongoing recognition that English is often a second language !

At http://www.cis.org.au/
Can see similar covered in articles from Helen Hughes or Sara Hudson at The Centre for Independent Studies

.

Here is a great resource on what not to do about Education , The Madness of OBE etc .
Also some great writings from Kevin Donnelly .

http://www.platowa.com/menu.html

There's definitely room for criticism of our education system, but usually the criticism is simply that it's failing to indoctrinate kids with the critic's preferred ideology. Exhibit 1: Kevin Donnelly, former Howard staffer turned education termite.

Well, someone's got to keep the culture wars going now that the Libs are in the wilderness.