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The national curriculum: focussing on human rights

29 January 2009, 02:51PM

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The review of the National Goals of Schooling

In 1989, a committee of State, Territory and Federal Ministers of Education developed for the first time a document articulating the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century (the Hobart Declaration). Since then, every ten years, the Goals have been revisited, the most recent being the Melbourne Declaration in 2009. By agreement with all States and Territories, these Goals frame State curriculum policies.

The Goals therefore represent the most important vision for schooling in Australia.

Amnesty International Australia's submission on the National Goals (October 2008) called for

  • explicit references to human rights and human rights education as part of the National Goals of Schooling in order to provide a strong basis and impetus for teachers to include Human Rights in their Civics and Citizenship programs
  • a new vision of the importance of human rights in education, moving beyond existing references to “citizenship” and “the common good”.
  • a strong rationale for the National Goals of Schooling, with human rights as a central focus - both as a statement of values for Australian society, and as a reflection of our understanding of the conditions which are essential for human beings to flourish.

A National Curriculum

A more contentious education debate currently centres on the development of a National Curriculum. In the context of the provision of education in Australia being Constitutionally embedded as a State matter, the previous Federal government initiated the first attempt to articulate a national curriculum.

The current federal government, while supporting a national curriculum has broadened the debate by embarking on a wider consultative process. At this point, five draft papers have been written - a broad shaping paper and four specific curriculum papers (History, Science, Mathematics and English).

In early December 2008 Human Rights Education staff attended a National Curriculum Board (NCB) forum and in early January 2009 wrote a submission to the NCB with a particular focus on the broad shaping paper.

Amnesty International Australia's Submission on the National Curriculum (December 2008) called for:

  • a strong rationale in the document including a human rights focus as a core plank of the current federal government's 'education revolution'
  • the inclusion of a human rights focus in schooling to enhance our nation's understanding of, and aspirations about, social cohesion and the common good.

At the point of writing, the NCB is still reviewing public submissions and has announced that the final documents will be ready in late February.

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