Schools play a vital role in our lives.
We all have recollections of the great, the good and the not-so-good experiences of our school years. And, for many, schools are considered the bedrock of childhood and the heartbeat of a community.
It could also be said that a community is only as good as the school that leads it.
The Civics and Citizenship is a learning area of the Victorian curriculum. It highlights the influence that schools have on our students and our communities. With its emphasis on ‘contemporary’ or present day views of society, one of its key aims is for students to develop ‘the capabilities and dispositions to participate in the civic life of their nation at a local, regional and global level’.
…a community is only as good as the school that leads it.
In other words, our schools encourage students to be concerned with the affairs of the community, rather than devote themselves merely to the pursuit of personal interests.
But how do we measure the value of this teaching? By comparing just a few historical and present day civic duties, it is fair to say that whatever measure is used, there is room for concern.
· In 1949, Victorian schools established Christmas appeals to benefit children of ex-servicemen and women, and children in out-of-home institutions. By 1967, more than 115,000 toys had been donated by school-age children.
· In 1968, 435 Junior Red Cross Clubs operated in public schools across Victoria. Students made toys, raised money and visited lonely and elderly citizens.
· In the same year, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments worked together to provide 339 free language courses for adult migrants throughout Victoria. Most of the classes were held in government schools.
· The Australian Charities Report of 2014 reported that government invested $42 billion in charities, in the form of government grants; the highest single portion (36%) of this investment went into education.
· In 2014, the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), as result of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, introduced a Primary School Nurses Program, investing $51 million into the DET School Student Services division. The Program received 6,774 disclosures from students; just 280 cases of family violence were dealt with.
· In 2016, an average of $6,000 per teacher was spent on professional development. During that year, DET employed 41,570 full-time teachers – with a bill of $249,420,000 for professional development in Victorian public schools.
Could it be that the curriculum’s emphasis on ‘contemporary’ issues has played a key role in the demise of civics and citizenship in our communities? Have schools themselves unwittingly become devotees of the pursuit and promotion of personal self-interest?
Schools continue to play a vital role in our community. The question is: have they lost their heartbeat?
Copyright © 2018 Cheryl Lacey All rights reserved.
Parent, educationist and advocate of agitating change in Australian education. By raising the bar we can face any global challenges facing Australia and Australians.
Contact me at cheryl@cheryllacey.com to learn how we can work together
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cheryl@cheryllacey.com or +61 419 518 811
