The Albanese Government must take urgent action to address Australia’s declining school standards which have become a national embarrassment.
In shocking NAPLAN results released today, one in three students is failing numeracy and literacy tests, with only 15 percent of students achieving above the expected standard.
“On almost every score, Australian students are going backwards. That one in three students is not meeting expected standards in literacy and numeracy is just shocking”, Senator Henderson said.
“The NAPLAN results released today mean students are twice as likely to fail than to excel in the classroom,” Senator Henderson said.
“Fixing this is not about funding. The Albanese Government needs to focus on the foundations of a good education - reading, writing and mathematics - by mandating evidence-based teaching methods in every Australian classroom,” said Senator Henderson.
“The refusal by Labor governments – state and federal – to mandate best-practice teaching and learning methods in every Australian classroom is not only failing students but grossly negligent”, Senator Henderson said.
“The Albanese Government and the states and territories must take urgent action to reverse these results,” said Senator Henderson.
“This is not about the quality of Australian teachers who are hard-working and dedicated. Many universities are offering deficient teacher training courses which are not adequately preparing teachers for the classroom, and our tertiary education system must wear some of the blame for this shambles. Teachers can only excel if they are supported by the best evidence-based teaching and learning methods,” said Senator Henderson.
“In proposing catch up tutorials, Education Minister Jason Clare is just tinkering at the edges. Why is he not addressing the fundamental cause of this appalling decline in Australian school standards?” said Senator Henderson.
“The Australian Education Research Organisation has confirmed what it will take to reverse declining standards, but that means we need tough action and not more talk from Jason Clare,” said Senator Henderson.
Young Australians and their families deserve better than this, and so does our country.