Ministers agree on antisemitism curriculum to stamp out 'noxious' racism
Ministers will enforce a digital detox in schools, establish a new antisemitism curriculum and consider mandatory civics classes.
Australian education ministers unanimously agreed to a range of reforms aimed at combating antisemitism and enhancing the quality of civics education. The new curriculum will introduce lessons about Jewish history and the contributions of Jewish Australians, in light of the Bondi attack and declining test scores. Education Minister Jason Clare emphasized the importance of these changes, stating that while more must be done to eradicate racism in all its forms, the reforms are a crucial step forward.
The reforms also include the establishment of the Social Cohesion Education Advisory Council, chaired by Gonski, to strengthen social cohesion through education. Additionally, ministers are considering making civics and citizenship lessons mandatory in years nine and ten, as current scores are alarmingly low, with 72% of students failing to grasp basic democratic principles.
The government also plans to establish an Australian Schools Digital Detox Taskforce, responding to concerns over screen time and education technology. Schools will soon revert to paper for year five NAPLAN writing tests, and parents, students, and teachers will be surveyed for further reform input. A new national maths curriculum for primary school students, introducing financial literacy, is also part of the package, as one in three students are not meeting minimum numeracy expectations in NAPLAN tests.
Lastly, a Teaching and Learning Commission will merge four existing education bodies to streamline support for teachers and schools.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
