States, union cautious about Labor's curriculum plan
12:26 AM March 1
States and the Australian Education Union have had mixed reactions to the federal Opposition Leader's planned national school curriculum.
Kevin Rudd has outlined a plan for an independent board to negotiate with the states and territories on maths, science, english and history.
The New South Wales Education Minister has already expressed reservations, as has Pat Byrne from the Australian Education Union.
She says the union should get a seat on the board that sets the curriculum.
"It would be counter-productive to actively preclude teacher-union representation from the board," she said.
Ms Byrne says any change would have to be done carefully.
"The issue around a uniform curriculum is that it in fact would stifle innovation and creativity and it in fact not encourage original thinking either from teachers or students and that's a big concern," she said.
"We are very concerned that that consistency not be taken too far, we support consistency, not uniformity."
But Queensland Premier Peter Beattie says his Government would cooperate with Labor's proposal for a national school curriculum as long the state's standards are not compromised.
"Having a national curriculum would help educate Australians -- I think that's a good thing," he said.
"My only issue has always been I do not want to see Queensland's standards lowered to the national average, I want to see the national average lifted."
Labor's Education spokesman, Stephen Smith, says he can convince the states to come around.
"It's not about dumbing down, it's about quality up, that's the key," he said.
"But what they've said to me, they're also confident that Kevin Rudd and I, that Federal Labor will do it in a sensible way," he said.
The Government is threatening to withhold funding unless the states agree to its proposal for a single curriculum. Source: ABC
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