Catholic Schools Welcome National Curriculum and National Student IDs
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
8 Mar 2010
Students from Bethlehem College, Ashfield
The national curriculum to be adopted by all schools across Australia is the "single most important education reform in Australia's history," says Dr Dan White, Executive Director of the Archdiocese of Sydney's 111 parish primary schools and 36 regional secondary schools.
"In 20 years time we will look back and be thankful the Government and educators of the day had the courage to embrace such a paradigm shift," he predicts.
Not only does Dr White endorse the national curriculum unveiled by Federal Education Minister, Julia Gillard last week, but he also welcomes the proposal to introduce national student identity numbers which will enable teachers to follow a pupil's progress from school to school and state to state.
"Catholic schools already operate under a registration number programs which is a number given to them when they start at our schools land remains with them throughout their years with us," he says, pointing out that Catholic secondary schools within the Archdiocese, as well as elsewhere, will be able to quickly access details about students and their learning needs whether the students have attended Catholic primary schools or not.
Currently more than 20 percent of students entering Catholic Secondary Schools have not attended primary schools in the area with the result that there is no baseline or information on them from their previous schools enabling teachers to assess their needs and provide them with the best learning environment.
As far back as 1995, Br Kelvin Canavan, who headed up the Archdiocese of Sydney's Catholic Education office from 1988 until 2009, advocated a national number ID system to help both students and teachers and now 15 years later, his idea is finally being picked up for use at all schools, both private and public across Australia.
"It's naive to think any information about a student should be isolated on the back of a record card and filed away in a filing cabinet. We did that sort of thing 20 years ago. We have to use these new technology systems to maximise our students' learning," Dr White argues. "Those with simplistic reactions about calling students by name and not by numbers have essentially missed the point."
Students from Aquinas College, Menai
The Catholic Education Offices uses the highest Internet and Communication Technology security protocols to protect student and family information, and as Dr White points out, numbers are far safer than names when it comes to privacy and the internet.
"We value calling our students by name but by giving a student number rather than a name, we are giving pupils the first layer that protects their privacy."
Numerical IDs for students will make assessments and progress easier to access and learning tailored to suit individual pupils. But it is the national curriculum which provides the greatest leap forward in education, says Dr White, and will enable subjects to be studied in far more depth and less breadth, allowing teachers to "investigate topics more rigorously rather than just skim over content."
While 90 percent of maths and science courses are virtually identical across state and territory borders, the national curriculum proposes marked changes is in the English and History curriculums.
Currently both subjects and the way they are taught vary widely from state to state and the recasting of these so that all strands and the way they are taught are uniform across the country is causing considerable debate, with some claiming the new curriculum gives a strictly "black armband" view of history or is too "left of centre."
But Dr White who like other educators throughout the country was part of the collaborative process instigated by the Federal Government prior to the draft of the National Curriculum Model, has nothing but praise for proposed new history curriculum.
He enthusiastically endorses the suggested new History strands, particularly "those strands which focus on history from indigenous perspectives, along with Australia's engagement in Asia, and Sustainability."
Dr White also welcomes a return to grammar as part of the English syllabus.
"The focus on grammar – the tools of our language – is critical, especially in this cyber age of immediacy and abbreviation," he says.
However, while applauding the single curriculum model, Dr White cautions the Government not to rush its introduction and says that once the initiative is approved by the States' Board of Studies, it should be rolled out very carefully.
"A fully developed and manageable implementation plan with a realistic timeline is essential," he says, adding that during the introduction of the national curriculum it is essential any disruption to School Certificate and Higher School Certificate be minimal.
For the next three months will be used for consultation between educators and the government so the draft national curriculum can be fine-tuned, then in 2011, different strands to the curriculum will be introduced in a pilot program at selected schools, including four from the Sydney Archdiocese.
Then in 2012, for the first time in Australia's history, a national curriculum will be implemented at all primary and secondary schools across the country.
