Maralyn Parker’s education blog in the Daily Telegraph makes for interesting reading, sometimes. 

I certainly don’t agree with all that is published but the thought provoking nature of the posts and comments gives the reader another insight.

This is however one observation on Marilyn’s profile that I do believe in passionately.

Only 2 per cent of the nation’s private schools are audited but they were given over $30 billion in the last federal budget- no questions asked. In no other industry in no other part of the world where public funds are involved would this be acceptable. If you read about it it happening anywhere else you would assume it was a junta rorting public coffers to benefit its own children. Perhaps that is what is happening in Australia – it certainly feels like it.

I also responded to Tomaz’s recent cathartic post, with a more fullsome explanation of my views on this issue. Gillard also wants all schools to fully disclose their income streams.

Maralyn also blogged recently about

• NAPLAN results, (yawn, more pointless political testing being passed off as meaningful learning, look for Greg Whitby’s comment within this article)
• When it comes to spending on education – Average or Below Average – that’s us. Primary school funding well below OECD averages.
• Is seven a lucky number? Verity Firth, see if she can stop the rot. Someone has to.
• Stop-gap does not Measure up. Teaching should not be seen as a charitable act.
• Don’t Bring Your Bad Manners to School What do you think of the list? Are you a teacher who is fed up?

Please share your thoughts on Maralyn’s blog and add to the education debate.

image at flickr by mstofan

We believe that there is nothing more valuable you can do for your nation than go into teaching, Julia Gillard Deputy Prime Minister July 1st 2008 

I often wonder why teaching is not seen as a more valuable profession, especially as Gillard states by the ” ‘best and brightest’ of university graduates.”

We have known this for a long time,

Australia faces a looming teacher shortage, with half the profession approaching retirement within the next 10 years.

but other than past and current government platitudes, what action has been taken to actually rectify this “looming shortage”? and inadequate staffing?

As proud as I am of twenty plus years of service to public education, with another 20 still to come, I almost feel lost promoting careers in NSW DET public schools to young people who ask me about the profession. I never say this of course, but I still feel it. Why?

I dont think society values public education like it once did. Good teachers seem undervalued, in far more than just monetary terms.

Governments are quick to abrogate their responsiblity to Public Education because its expedient. Police and ambulance are two of the last frontiers of NSW public utilities that are left to “sell off”. Currently its harder for private industry to profit in those two political minefields, but private “economic rationalist” arguments will eventually pursuade future governments to change policy. If profit is on the offing and politicians need a warchest top up, it’ll be sell, sell, sell. ”It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.”

Public funding for hospitals and schools, nurses and teachers, have in real terms been on the economic decline since the 1970’s in NSW. As more and more is handed over to the largly unaccountable private sectors, it disturbs me more supporters of public don’t cry out “why?” or “stop”. Maybe we have reached that point now with electricity. 

I’m certainly not anti private, just pro accountability and transparency as increasing budgets of public money gets handed over. Just look at the current political brawl over electricity, do you think it won’t eventually happen with other as yet untouched public services?

With the constant bickering between a multitude of so called representative groups, seemingly ongoing and circuitious debate over public funding transparency (getting funding right might be a good start) edubeaurocrats justifying their existence and opining “cause its what we do”, pointless 19th and 20th century “benchmark” tests, that in no way test 21st century digital literacies, constant change with the latest and greatest “edugimmicks” and assorted other platitudes, not least of which is adequate public funding for public education, then it’s no wonder I feel despondent about outsiders who constantly reinvent the wheel of education fortune, offer old skool solutions and mess with effective learning in the classroom. 

Maybe that’s why I feel uncomfortable promoting something I see as in decline, under attack or at least mighty mixed up.

This brings me back to why I’m excited about the digital revolution, not only in education but more widely in society. The speed of the future will marginalise slothful governments and others who “don’t play nicely, or smartly in the digital mud pit”.

Excessive layers of control, especially governments that are out of touch, hey JWH etal, will themselves become rapidly irrelevant and hopefully to some degree redundant as more people blog, ask questions, empower themselves and say enough is enough.

Futuristic yes, but I can see it happening more quickly than monolithic organisations may want to admit. We live in exponential times and shift happens. Why do you think China controls their net so tightly? They realise the power it unleashes on and for people, Getup and Get with it.

I see web2.0 learning as a way for learners to move forward at a faster more enjoyable pace and leave the political agendarists to fight their boring, repetitive and ugly fights elsewhere. Motherhood statements about “kids being central” are often trotted out by Politicians grasping at straws.

Of course learning in schools should be about learners, der, an absolute no brainer comment but one so often repeated. I can’t wait until learners in schools have moved so rapidly foward that they set and control the agenda. Pollies won’t wont know which way the bus went.

Non learning will result, and worse,  as more active digital brains ”power down” to attend school’s that don’t change in the future, school education will disenfranchise more than it empowers. Many adolescent learners engage in far more enriched learning away from 9to3dom now. Often the first thing learners are told is to “unplug and disconnect because we’ve got some serious school learning to do now.” (that will prepare you for a meaningless test for a job that is rooted in 19thC literacies and wont prepare you for 2020 let alone 2060)

Another micro level issue in our much touted “web2.0 digital revolution world of learning”, at least in NSW Public schools, is the strictly controlled DET filtered web environment that blocks educational multi media, blogs and wikis. Oxymoron or paradox? I’m not sure which it is. But I do know its counter intuitive and frustrating.

Web2.0 in NSW DET schools is NOT open apps, it is therefore not the “real web2.0″ world that learners access at home. It is NOT (yet) giving my Year 7 learners the access, speed or tools they need for a successful rest of life future in 2013 and beyond.

I’m convinced schools are heading there but at what pace and with what real commitment if 30% of our change engineers are retiring within 10 years? Maybe its time to allow the digital native generation to dictate the technology, and us old cronies will just administer the appropriate heutagogy?

The challenge for those footing the bills and making the big end of town decisons then, is to increase the pace of real digital integration and speed up the monolithic departments that hinder meaningful improvements to learning. Developing countries are doing it very well and very fast, why can’t Australia?  

Those learning places currently teaching their kids digital citizenship, critical web analysis, net safety and responsibility, use of open apps and digital mobile delivery with constructivism or similar pedagogy will succeed.

Those that don’t change quickly will be on the constant treadmill of playing “perpetual catch up” or worse become “schools of last resort”. Parents and kids will soon see through anything less and vote with their feet.

Guess which learning environments in the next decade the ” ‘best and brightest’ of university graduates” who are digital experts will want to teach in? A no brainer I know.

Future teachers in the next decade will gravitate back to the places of learning where they felt valued, were taught using 21st century methods and where they used real open apps webplus4.0 digital skills.

I sure hope some of that happens in Public schools.

Photo Credits: Future teacher Slice, Faceless Bureaucrats dougsamu, dont suspect a friend report him zyphichore. all under creative commons

Maralyn Parker, education writer for the Daily Telegraph reported on a major issue facing Public Education, adequate and/or equitable funding. 

Some of the best minds among public school supporters met in the NSW State Library on Saturday for their own 2020 Education Summit. Its sole purpose was to discuss how to fight the growing divide between Australia’s public and private schools. …. if all schools were staffed as generously as publicly funded Montessori and Steiner and independent schools another 40,000 teachers would be needed right now.

 

Maralyn Parker Profile

Only 2 per cent of the nation’s private schools are audited but they were given over $30 billion in the last federal budget- no questions asked. In no other industry in no other part of the world where public funds are involved would this be acceptable. If you read about it it happening anywhere else you would assume it was a junta rorting public coffers to benefit its own children. Perhaps that is what is happening in Australia – it certainly feels like it.

In another recent article Maralyn highlights the great divide over education priorities and funding.

30th June Daily Telegraph
The threat is real enough for advisers to Federal treasurer Wayne Swan to suggest a secret deal with NSW

But expect the COAG meeting on Thursday to have some fiery clashes. And so much for the new federalism putting an end to “the blame game” .

The reality is NSW government schools do not have classrooms with the proper air conditioning and wiring to house the computers.  They do not have sufficient in-school technical support (there should be full-time technicians employed in every school) nor widely available professional development for their teachers on how to use the computers and they cannot afford the insurance to insure them.

In fact most NSW schools have classrooms that are demountable and pose a security problem or many are so old they are too small to fit in a computer for every child.

It is time for the federal government to provide funding to government schools to a level where they can educate their children to a 21st century standard.

Australia is in the middle of a resources boom where we have untold wealth sitting in federal government coffers ( while some states, NSW included, miss out) . We should be using this unique time to invest in our most precious resource – Australian school children.

Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard have to address the very real poverty of public schools in NSW.

I hope Michael Costa’s threat is a serious one. NSW is in dire need of a special catch-up state school funding deal.