Liberals' Curriculum Claims Hazardous

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday June 20, 2006

I WRITE to respond to the comments made by the Liberal Party's education spokesperson, Brad Hazzard, in your article of June 10 (Crowded curriculums a hazard).

Mr Hazzard's decision to commit a future Coalition government to reviewing the state's primary school curriculum and to introduce new measures to combat schoolyard bullies, are yet more examples of his surprising lack of awareness about what is already happening in our schools.

Just last year, the NSW Board of Studies reviewed the primary school curriculum. Following feedback from thousands of teachers and parents, new foundation statements that clearly describe the knowledge and skills every student should be learning at each stage of primary school were introduced from the beginning of this year.

For the first time in 30 years, primary school teachers are now being advised about the number of hours they should spend on each subject, with no less than 45 per cent of a week being devoted to numeracy and literacy.

Through our Anti-Bullying Plan for Schools we are already sending a strong message that schoolyard bullies will not be tolerated. This plan - a commitment made by the Government during the last election - ensures that schools, teachers, students and parents are equipped with the know-how for identifying and dealing with bullying behaviours.

As part of this statewide initiative, schools have also been required to revise and update their own individualised anti-bullying plans and to report to their school communities the actions they are taking to stamp out this intolerable behaviour.

After 11 years in opposition, and with just nine months to the next state election, all the Liberal Party has managed to come up with are policies the Iemma Government has already implemented.

- CARMEL TEBBUTT,

Minister for Education and Training.