2017-12-13
The Australian Greens are calling for an end to the State and Federal Government blame game on NAPLAN results and restore value to the education sector to improve results.
“Another NAPLAN report has come and shows what we’ve been shown over and over again; standardised testing does not improve educational outcomes,” Greens education spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“While it is important to monitor student progress, it seems counter-intuitive not to actually address the issue that our education system is stagnating.
“Parents, teachers and children want a better system, but we have the Federal Government and State Governments out today playing the blame game and pointing the finger at each other.
“We know teachers are discouraged from teaching their students about Australian politics and as we’ve seen today, students are crying out to learn about how they can make a difference and what their vote means. The Greens want to see Australian politics to be incorporated into the national curriculum in the next review.
“Teachers don’t just educate our children about reading, writing and maths; they guide young people figuring out their place in the world and understanding their democratic rights and responsibilities needs to be on the agenda.
“Enough is enough. We know countries with great learning outcomes strongly value teaching and recognise it as a noble profession. We need to make sure we’re attracting the best and brightest to the job, and encourage them to stay.”