The number of content descriptions of what teachers should teach and what students should learn has been cut by 21%. In primary school geography, 50% of these descriptions have gone or been reduced.
More of the curriculum is devoted to climate change, but it’s still not presented holistically. Teachers also need more training and resources to help them prepare students for a changing climate.
By pushing the timing of approval back to April, likely just before the election, the government has put itself in a position to use the curriculum to score political points.
The new version of the Australian Curriculum should be approved for use by 2022. With the ongoing controversy around the document, ministers must remember three crucial things.