Elections

[Gointocarlton]

Not much of what you describe about primary school curriculum is related specifically to Labor, and on the curriculum front the things you are worried about might only become worse if minority parties gain further power. And the inverse of that scenario, a right leaning curriculum, could be even worse!

I read today there is a new push on to disassemble special education, and integrate special needs kids with the main stream. This is a push purely taken from the perspective of special needs kids and their parents. I completely understand the desire for inclusion, but nobody is discussing the impact of such decisions on the main stream students. It reminds me of when Jeff Kennett kyboshed all the special needs mental health facilities, a cost cutting exercise, oddly I'd just been having had a chat with someone about the impact of this on our hospital EUs and ESSUs.

I wouldn't be too worried though about the primary school stuff, most kids rebel against rote learning and start to question everything they have been taught by the time they hit secondary school. The more the system hammers away at them with ideologies the more likely they will feel ripped off later, and that's a big difference between teaching and educating.

My wife is a primary school teacher who deals every day with the problems and struggles special needs kids face at school. If there wasn't such a stigma associated with schools that cater for specific children's needs, there would be no argument. Im all for inclusion but when Its to the detriment of a child that's where I have a problem.