Today Tonight

EE&OE TRANSCRIPT Interview - TODAY TONIGHT Adelaide with Rosanna Mangiarelli Monday 13 October 2014 ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          But let’s turn now to the big change facing our education system. A review of the national curriculum has highlighted a number of areas in need of an overhaul. It suggests children go back to basics, and even recommends teachers go back to school to brush up on their grammar and punctuation. For more, I spoke with the Federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne. Well, Christopher, firstly, thank you very much for coming in. Look, why do we need to change our curriculum, particularly here in South Australia. CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     Well, for five years we’ve had the national curriculum, and this is the biggest review of it since it started. And it’s a big change, because what it’s suggesting is that we’ve tried to perhaps do too much, and we need to unclutter, particularly primary school. Focus on English, maths, science and history. It also says that we’ve been trying to fit the content into themes around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Australia’s place in Asia, sustainability, when probably the emphasis should have been the other way. So we should be having the content and making the themes fit the content rather than the other way around. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          Okay, so getting back to basics with literacy for starters. How do we do that? CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     Well, the review suggest that some of the tried and true methods of the past like phonics need to be the touchstone in primary school. There’s a view that we need more phonics-based explicit instruction around literacy so that students have the capacity to actually read. You can’t read, you’re not going to learn. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          And when you talk about decluttering the curriculum, what in your view needs to go? Because let’s face it, something does have to give. CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     That’s view, and the review says that there’s a lot of breadth in primary school but not a lot of depth. So rather than perhaps trying to teach health sciences or economics or geography in junior school, we should be focussing on history, maths, science and English. Because out of those four, the others can all come. And of course when I was at school decades ago, those kind of subjects were done in senior school, not in junior school, because you needed the basic building blocks to be able to do the rest. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          Are we lifting up to international standards here? What’s the aim? CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     We’re facing a lot more competition. A lot more competition from Asian countries in particular. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          And what does the review have to say about NAPLAN tests? CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     It doesn’t really comment on the benefits of NAPLAN testing. But we do support NAPLAN testing because we want parents to know and teachers to know how students are tracking. The NAPLAN is good from a diagnostic point of view in terms of testing and changing it. And I want to do the NAPLAN online because I want the results to get back to teachers faster, so they can change what they’re doing on an individual basis with students more quickly. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          So it’s here to stay… CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     NAPLAN is definitely here to stay. And look, we know in South Australia where we have the lowest results in the NAPLAN of any mainland state, that there’s no point in just saying if it’s difficult, change the test to make it easier for South Australians. Our South Australian education system needs to be improved, and the students need to be given the chance to have the best outcomes possible. Or they won’t even be able to compete with interstate students for jobs. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          Okay so for any changes, the states need to get on board. Early days yet, but is this likely to happen? CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     My sense is that it’s being very well received. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:          So if it does get the big tick, then it won’t be ready for the 2015 school year will it? CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     It’ll be too early for 2015, but more than likely for 2016. ROSANNA MANGIARELLI:           I’m sure there’ll be plenty looking forward to an outcome. Christopher, thanks again for your time. CHRISTOPHER PYNE:     Thanks Rosanna. [ends]