Christian schools have welcomed the review of the Australian Curriculum and the opportunity to make comment on the proposed updates released by ACARA as part of the public consultation process.
“The Australian Curriculum is an important part of shaping education and the future thinking of our society and we hope that there will be a wide range of views put to ACARA as part of the process” said CSA’s Director of Public Policy, Mark Spencer.
“We welcome many of the changes around the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priorities which reflect a lot of the themes and issues we have identified as important” Mr Spencer said, “we hope that they will aid in greater understanding of different perspectives as we work together on a common future as a nation”.
Christian schools also consider it vital to be realistic and acknowledge the enormous impact of both Christian and Christian organisations on the shape of modern Australia and the framework of Judeo-Christian thinking and beliefs as the basis for the common values of our society.
“As we do work together towards a common future as a pluralist liberal democracy, we need to recognise the way that Christian beliefs and institutions have formed who we are for the last 200 odd years”.
“To ignore this would be equally as harmful to our future as a nation as ignoring the views and perspectives of our First Nations Australians”, he said.
Christian schools want to take the time to consider the proposals as a whole rather than react narrowly to the phrase “Christian heritage”. In particular we want to consider the proposals in the light of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration and what we are seeking from education as a society.
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