Page 4754 - Week 15 - Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Mrs Dunne continues to criticise and denigrate the great work being undertaken by Canberra teachers when they are actually achieving tremendous results. The ACT government and the ACT community continue to have great trust in the professional expertise of our educators. A key Stanhope government priority is to continue to ensure that the ACT leads Australia in education and training and in lifelong learning. The performance of ACT students is at the forefront in international comparisons. In reading, for example, our 15-year-old students equal the performance of the highest achieving nation in the world, Finland.
Canberra’s future depends on our children having the necessary knowledge, understanding, skills and values for a productive and rewarding life in the 21st century. The curriculum renewal initiative undertaken by the Labor government is a vital aspect of this process, as high-quality curriculum is central to achieving the outcomes we seek.
A wide-ranging review of ACT curriculum in 2004 identified a need for significant renewal of curriculum in the ACT. Indeed, I can recall that when I was minister for education we had identified and commenced early work on this matter, and I am pleased that the current minister, Ms Gallagher, has continued and advanced it to the detailed stage it is now in. I would like to remind members that the new ACT curriculum framework is still in its developmental stages, and consultation includes representatives of all sectors of the ACT community in its development.
While Mrs Dunne apparently feels confident about what curriculum, teaching and learning is needed, the government will not be relying on her advice alone. This important work will be done by educational professionals in consultation with the ACT education community and the broader community. Members will probably recall that the new framework is not proposed to be implemented by all schools until 2008.
A significant feature of the curriculum renewal process is the high level of involvement of the community. There are representatives of the government, the Catholic and independent school sectors, teachers unions, parent organisations, professional business and community organisations and universities, working together on this new curriculum framework for ACT schools. This high level of collaboration by the ACT community will ensure that the curriculum framework provides the best opportunity for our students to continue to be the best in the country.
The focus is on retaining what is important. There will be nothing faddish about the new ACT curriculum framework. In fact, traditional subject disciplines or key learning areas will certainly be a strong focus. The new curriculum framework will provide the basis for rigorous learning in the subject disciplines in our schools and, like all other states and territories, the ACT framework will include the new national curriculum requirements which are also based around the key learning areas.
It will incorporate the national statements of learning for English, mathematics, information and communication technology, civics and citizenship, and science that are currently being developed. These statements set out the essential learning requirements that are agreed nationally as reasonable, challenging and appropriate for young Australians in the years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The systemic teaching of reading is a key element of the new ACT curriculum framework. ACT government schools already adopt a
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