Mcgaw has said that class sizes do not need to be smaller for improved education, that money could be spent elsewhere to improve education. He is right. But the Victorian education union has labeled the truth absurd.
McGaw points out that kids with special needs can fall through the cracks of small classes as well as large. Money could be directed to junior years, supporting kids with special needs before they became older problems.
ALP administrations have been saying for years that law and order has been improving, and pointing to the statistic that the number of murders are falling each year. Yet, as Bolt has pointed out, healthcare has improved, limiting the number of deaths, while spiraling up in costs. At the same time, Violent assault (GBH and ABH) has spiraled up while policing has gone down. So that the media claims that conservative opposition have been suggesting improved policing as being too much, is in fact what is required.
The unions, in Education, are opposing progress.
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Update.
It now seems that the appointment of McGaw, although virtuous, as he is a fine educator and not captured by self interest groups, is an indication that Rudd is preparing to cut back severely on his 'Education Revolution' promise. Rudd is willing to give the unions any amount of power, but blowing a fortune on the waste of time that might make the union feel strong is something Rudd won't do. Also, spending money to improve standards is something that Rudd won't be doing.
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Small classes labelled a waste of money
By Stephen Drill
AUSTRALIA'S new education tsar has surprisingly come out in support of large classes.
Barry McGaw, charged with co-ordinating a new national curriculum, said reducing class sizes was a waste of money and more specialist teachers should be hired to help struggling students instead.
The decorated academic and policy maker argued that slow learners slipped through the cracks just as easily in smaller classes as they did in larger classes.
"Teachers unions have pushed for reduced class sizes but I think it's not the most important thing," he said.
"It's a waste of money, you don't get the best bang for your buck."
Finland, with the highest literacy rate of 15-year-olds in the world, invested heavily in the early years of education, Mr McGaw said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd appointed Mr McGaw as chair of the National Curriculum Board this week. The 12-member board will include representatives from all state and territories and public, Catholic and independent schools.
Expert consultants will be employed to develop a nation-wide curriculum from kindergarten to Year 12 in English, maths, science and history.
The Howard Government's Australian history curriculum for Years 9 and 10, which was developed before the coalition's defeat in the November election, would also be considered in the new plans.
But Mr McGaw's comments on class sizes have outraged Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett.
The powerful union boss labelled the remarks as absurd and said smaller classes were the best way
to improve academic results and school retention rates.
"There's no substitute or alternative to getting class sizes down," Ms Bluett said.
She said studies had shown students in smaller classes had stronger friendships and also had more respect for their teachers.
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