The Blue Cross

"Bronwyn, there is an invasion of our public schools going on, via Kids Hope, a Baptist program bought from the USA, designed to worm xtian 'mentors' into schools to work with lone students, particularly the 'halt, lame and infirm' as the Book says."

Aaha ... is that the 'invasion' you're referring to? All is now clear, and I must say I totally agree with your condemnation of the evangelising influx occurring in our schools.

No wonder I was a bit confused though - you hadn't even mentioned proselytising or religion in the paragraph containing your 'invasion' reference. The statement I queried actually followed a sentence about overseas uni students. I can see I'm going to have to do a bit of mind reading here. Never mind, it's a good mind to read I can see that. :)

Now that we've cleared that up - in relation to education at least, perhaps you can now justify your "'invasion' by boat" reference, because until you do I will be of the opinion that you have pet themes you like to insert at random - a bit like others here, but in this case most unhelpfully.

Not knowing you, my first impression on reading your negative linking of overseas uni students and boat people was that I could be reading the words of a racist bigot. I hope I'm wrong.

Bronwyn,

Here it is:

"Most regional uni's simply exist to plunder the pockets of overseas students of good money, and to provide them with Australian citizenship as a payoff for their degree 'investment'.

"Yes, never mind the 'invasion' by boat, there is a very healthy invasion via our uni system."

That alludes to the new role of universities, now they are corporate entities designed to make a profit rather than any pretence to 'educate' the nations aspiring leaders.

The uni's encourage thousands of fee paying students to come here. They really do not care if the students can speak English. The students are here to gain points in the ladder-of-approval for residency afterwards. Many are ill-equipped to do the work required. The economic imperative to pass them is very high.

This is not another version of the Columbo scheme, it is a money-making scam, run by uni's, condoned by politicians from all sides.

I have no problem with people coming here to live, study, work and stay as a new citizen, from any of the countries that send students.

I am appalled at the unethical nature of how this works though.

The term 'invasion' is indeed an emotive one, and one that Australia likes to use not just from time to time, but frequently.

The 'boat people' are painted as an 'invasion' but the legal arrival of tourists who then overstay and seek sanctuary is never spoken of as an 'invasion'.

The doubtful process of funding uni's through scamming the students manages to bypass all scrutiny, because funding the uni's is 'in the national interest'.

I used 'invasion' to highlight the doubtful use of uni's as immigration schemes while 'boat people' are seen to deserve all the bad press they get.

Obviously, not all students come here to slide in to the nation to live here, but a staggering proportion of those I've met, and marked, do.

Yes Bronwyn, years teaching should qualify one to manage, just the same as years filling pot holes in the roads would qualify one to manage the transport department.

That you can't see this simple fact, shows how the rot sets in to the whole system. No one will ever see that the house needs painting, while sitting inside. You need perspective for that, not staff room scuttle but.

Apologies for writing 'Columbo', not the fault of any teacher, I did mean 'Colombo'.

Hasbeen has a good point, so I believe from my Qld experiences.

Within Ed Qld there is a single pool of labour for high office, the classroom teacher.

They go on to become specialist teachers, HODs, deputies, heads, into district office, regional office, head office.

All from the same monoculture.

I liken it to the sunflower paddock.

Heads east at sunrise, west at sunset, with no one deviating, lest their career be stopped.

Whereas, say, in Q Health, the managers come from a range of streams, doctors, nurses, allied health and administrative backgrounds.

Sure, all from 'health' but all with quite different perspectives.

I recall the uproar when an Emergency Services AO dared to transfer at level into EQ.

But what a breath of fresh air when the books were opened and a non-EQ approach was embarked upon, one that was happy to listen to suggestions from others.

Dare to suggest an improvement within EQ and you are immediately ostracised, rebuked and frowned upon.

This may not happen elsewhere, but we do live in 'the smart state' so we must be at the cutting edge of edumacation I'd say.

Hasbeen

"That you can't see this simple fact, shows how the rot sets in to the whole system. No one will ever see that the house needs painting, while sitting inside. You need perspective for that, not staff room scuttle but."

The best leaders in schools are always the ones that stay close to their teaching roots and understand life at the coalface. The last thing EQ or any other education system needs foisted on it is private sector managers with business rather than educational backgrounds.

It's the increasingly top-down managerialist culture that is very much part of the problem currently besetting education. Endless measurement and comparison is taking teachers away from their core role of teaching.

People like Judy King who understand education and are aware of the increasing inequity in the system are the type of leaders we need - not brash young things fresh out of business school who haven't lived long enough to realise they don't have all the answers.

Bronwyn

Judy King first came to my attention in the SMH, speaking out against the NSCP scam.

Few, if any, school leaders still in-harness did that.

Chris Bonnor is another leader, but not working in the school.

These two are rare as hens teeth.

They certainly do not reflect the norm here in Qld, but may well be more common in NSW, I have no idea.

Our primary head was a similar character, keeping the tides of folly at bay, then he retired, and the school was washed over by waves of stupidity and careerist nonsense.

I have doubts about young business people running schools too, but, frankly, they could be no worse than what we suffer from now.

Ideally, teachers would be given sabbaticals away from the classroom to pick up new skills, including attending proper management training not just being dumped into a job with a new school and limited experience.

But, of course, when politicians feed the clamouring for 'lower taxes' all the time, there is a shortage of funds, hence the privatisation of schooling, and the dumbing down of school administrations.