History is written by the victorious Mr Pyne

Christopher Pyne: Education Minister. Source Flickr (edited)

Really! Really Mr Pyne. The Australian History curriculum doesn’t “celebrate” Australia enough. The whole subject is about teaching the history, development and transformation of Australia into the state it is today. It covers everything from political, cultural, social and natural events. The fact that during the ice age you could walk from Victoria to Tasmania, does not need to be celebrated. It’s just a fact. The abhorrent treatment of the Indigenous population isn’t something that should be celebrated either (and I hope that no classroom in Australia does celebrate it). But ANZAC day. It is not celebrated enough? Really!? Let’s look at it.

ANZAC Day. A National Day of Remembrance, which is also a National public holiday. A day in which every capital state’s Remembrance Day march is televised live. Sporting codes celebrate it with particular matches. Local councils hold numerous events. Even if you were NEVER educated in Australia, being in the country on the 25th April, it would be pretty damn difficult to not recognise that the day signified something. It’s a day of public demonstration of remembrance that rivals (and arguably is more prominent) than Christian messages and symbols at Christmas.

So tell us, Mr Pyne, in what way is ANZAC day not being celebrated at the moment? Remembrance Day stretches beyond the history classroom; from examining letters and texts from the time of the diggers in Gallipoli in an English classroom, to Australia’s geopolitical alliance with UK in a politics class, to having the day off school or a special Remembrance Day assembly. Celebration of western influence over Australian culture is celebrated widely in the history and general academic curriculum of Australian schools. The change you’re proposing, Mr Pyne, is one of ideology and methodology.

The individuals heading up this exercise, of not rewriting the curriculum, but proposing a rewrite, are objectively biased. There is the conservative education commentator Kevin Donnelly, and who just so happens to be a former chief of staff to Liberal minister Kevin Andrews. Then there is Ken Wiltshire who publicly supported the Coalition since the 2010 election. Though it is Pyne’s public statement that he wishes to remove the “partisan bias” from the National Curriculum (by what, making it your own conservative partisan bias?). Even more shockingly, is the way in which these academics wish to change the methodology of teaching. This is a quote from Kevin Donnelly:

“[the current] curriculum airbrushes Christianity from the nation’s civic life and institutions and adopts a postmodern, subjective definition of citizenship, one where ‘citizenship means different things to people at different times and depending on personal perspectives, their social situation and where they live”

So you want kids to stop questioning and developing an understanding of what citizenship means contextually, socially and how it can be a dynamic thing, and instead memorise a textbook definition of what citizenship is! Yet he also claims he wants a ‘child centric view’ of learning. It is clear here that his political views of what should be taught and how it should be taught (to make sure it is enforced) is the most important aspect of reform. Politics first, education second.

It may have been Foucault who started the philosophy of “history being written by the victors”, but Mr Pyne, you sir, are becoming living proof of this theory.