Lefty Educational Political Correctness Attacked.
RodneyK
and biased propaganda by our tax payer funded institutions?
What rights does an innocent child have for protection from such abuse
in our schools?
PM canes 'rubbish' post-modern teaching
Steve Lewis and Imre Salusinszky
April 21, 2006
JOHN Howard believes the post-modern approach to literature being taught
in schools is "rubbish" and is considering tying education funding to
ending the "gobbledegook" taught in some states.
The Prime Minister made the threat after accusing the state education
authorities of "dumbing down" the English syllabus and succumbing to
political correctness.
"I feel very, very strongly about the criticism that many people are
making that we are dumbing down the English syllabus," Mr Howard said.
Australia's most distinguished literary scholar, Leonie Kramer,
yesterday agreed with the Prime Minister's criticism of how English is
taught in high schools. Dame Leonie, professor emeritus in Australian
literature at the University of Sydney, said what worried her was "the
notion that you have to read, let us say Shakespeare, in relation to
contemporary preoccupations such as race and class".
Education Minister Julie Bishop has raised concerns over Western
Australia's outcomes-based education system, claiming it is "inevitable"
that standards will fall.
When asked about the "outcomes-based" program, Mr Howard replied: "That
is gobbledegook - what does that mean?"
Ms Bishop is expected to drive the reform push at the next meeting with
state education ministers, scheduled for either June or July.
The minister, who is overseas at present, is keen to push for greater
national consistency on English curriculums, amid concerns that senior
high school students are not being sufficiently challenged on
traditional texts.
Mr Howard may also seek to have education standards placed on the agenda
for the next Council of Australian Governments, also scheduled to be
held in June.
But senior government sources yesterday played down suggestions that
Canberra would seek to "stand over" the states in the public debate over
education standards.
Mr Howard said: "I share the views of many people about the so-called
post-modernism ... I just wish that independent education authority
didn't succumb on occasions to the political correctness it appears to
succumb to."
The criticism of teaching standards followed revelations in The Weekend
Australian that a prestigious Sydney school, SCEGGS Darlinghurst, had
asked students to interpret Othello from Marxist, feminist and racial
perspectives.
"I think there's evidence of that (dumbing down) in different parts of
the country ... when the, what I might call the traditional texts, are
treated no differently from pop cultural commentary, as appears to be
the case in some syllabuses," Mr Howard told the ABC.
Western Australia's introduction of a Year 12 English exam that fails to
penalise students for poor spelling or grammar and asks students to
compare two film posters but not read a book has also been blasted by
Canberra.
Rather than dictating what students should know by a specified time and
then grading them, outcomes-based education focuses on what students are
able to do.
Mr Howard's intervention drew a stinging response from the states and
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley.
"Instead of telling everyone what they should read, John Howard should
make his ministers read cables about the bribes to Saddam Hussein," Mr
Beazley said.
Queensland Education Minister Rod Welford also accused the Prime
Minister of trying to divert attention away from the AWB kickbacks scandal.
Mr Welford said Mr Howard's blanket denigration of school curriculums
was an attempt to divert attention from "other pressing issues, such as
the appalling unethical dealings by AWB, over which he has presided".
"The fact is, in Queensland we do value the traditional literature as
well as more popular media," Mr Welford said.
NSW Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt indicated her state's syllabus was
more likely to comply with Mr Howard's view because it had a strong base
in classical English literature
"NSW has compulsory Shakespeare in Years 9 to 10 and for the Year 12
advanced English courses," she told The Australian yesterday.
"Other authors on the HSC reading list include Chaucer, Yeats,
Wordsworth and Jane Austen. The more modern classics include George
Orwell, David Williamson, David Malouf and Michael Ondaatje."
Victoria's Education Minister Lynn Kosky accused Mr Howard of being
"ill-informed" on the issue.
"The Prime Minister is out of touch with what is going on in Victorian
schools and what students are reading," Ms Kosky said.
Mr Howard's statement was embraced by anti-OBE campaigners yesterday,
who said their views had been vindicated.
PLATO WA co-founder Greg Williams said Mr Howard's comments were an
accurate description of the controversial system that is currently being
implemented in Western Australia.
"It is not gobbledegook to everyone but it is gobbledegook to the
teachers, it's gobbledegook to the students and it's gobbledegook to the
parents. These three groups are the only ones that matter when it comes
to outcomes-based education."
Teacher of literature at the University of Western Australia Peter
Morgan said many teachers were just as confused and disappointed as
their students at the shift from teaching English literature to focusing
on literary theory and its sub-branches.
Associate Professor Morgan said the English literature syllabus in
Western Australia was being replaced by a course called "Texts,
traditions and cultures", which had led to a large degree of
dissatisfaction and low morale among teachers.
"Literary theory covers a broad range of cultural and social theory from
Marxism to post-structuralism, feminism and queer theory," he said.
"It's very obscure. It encourages students to use buzzwords and jargon
to cover up that they have no idea what they're talking about.
"Teachers are disappointed they are not teaching literature any more.
They feel the subject has been hijacked by those who want to teach about
race, gender and Marxism, rather than about literature.
"I read what the students write, and hear what the teachers have to say,
and there is a lot of confusion."
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,18878087-601,00.html
RodneyK
"To destroy a people you must first sever their roots."
-Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Zappy
"RodneyK" <"(RodneyK)RodneyKShanley"@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OL_1g.11643$vy1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> How long must the Australian people be subjected to politically correct
> and biased propaganda by our tax payer funded institutions?
> What rights does an innocent child have for protection from such abuse in
> our schools?
Why is it you only only ever read right wing nutcases using the term
"politically correct"?
Oh, that's right. They invented it.
Denz
"RodneyK" <"(RodneyK)RodneyKShanley"@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:OL_1g.11643$vy1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> and biased propaganda by our tax payer funded institutions?
> What rights does an innocent child have for protection from such abuse
> in our schools?
>
>
> PM canes 'rubbish' post-modern teaching
It doesnt worry you that the PM has no clue what he is talking about? ...
> When asked about the "outcomes-based" program, Mr Howard replied: "That
> is gobbledegook - what does that mean?"
Im not surprised Howard is so clueless on the topic. He has no training or
experiece whatsoever in education. So why take any notice of him? Actually,
being totally clueless is something the PM is turning into a well practiced
artform.
And where is this 'biased propaganda' you are talking about?
'such abuse in our schools' ??? ... this is getting pathetic
Zappy
"Denz" <nos...@here.com> wrote in message
news:fz%1g.11670$vy1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
> "RodneyK" <"(RodneyK)RodneyKShanley"@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OL_1g.11643$vy1....@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>> How long must the Australian people be subjected to politically correct
>> and biased propaganda by our tax payer funded institutions?
>> What rights does an innocent child have for protection from such abuse
>> in our schools?
>>
>>
>> PM canes 'rubbish' post-modern teaching
>
> It doesnt worry you that the PM has no clue what he is talking about? ...
>
>> When asked about the "outcomes-based" program, Mr Howard replied: "That
>> is gobbledegook - what does that mean?"
>
> Im not surprised Howard is so clueless on the topic. He has no training or
> experiece whatsoever in education. So why take any notice of him?
> Actually,
> being totally clueless is something the PM is turning into a well
> practiced
> artform.
And the fuckwit has probably not picked up a book since he left law school
which is why he was such a lousy solicitor.
Have you ever, ever heard the moral midget talk about ideas in public?
I though Keating could be a bit woolly at times but at least he had a
fucking inquistive mind.
Howard just leaves me speechless he is such a willfully ignorant slob
>
> And where is this 'biased propaganda' you are talking about?
> 'such abuse in our schools' ??? ... this is getting pathetic
My Grandmother was trotting out this argument during the Vietnam conflict.
>
>
dechucka
"Zappy" <zap...@ncable.net.au> wrote in message
news:44488862$1...@news.comindico.com.au...
To the Rodney K's of this world bias in educations and proof of Marxist
teachings in educations is children being taught something that doesn't fit
in with their own rampant right wing views
Oliver Twist
called "language". It allows us to describe.