Education

In another life I was a recruiting Sergeant and on one notable day lectured to Year 12 kids at two Hornsby High Schools. The first lecture was at a St Leo’s College where the boys, all well dressed and well mannered, listened politely, asked discerning questions and the School Captain thanked me for my time and my service (I was in uniform). After lunch I entered the hall at the Hornsby High School to be met with pro-communist propaganda on the walls and a group of young people that could only be described as a noisy rabble. Vitriolic abuse flowed freely and the teacher in charge could only smirk. I requested she take some control but she couldn’t or wouldn’t see my point. I left without another word. Life, and love, gave me five children and I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised as to what type of schools my children attended. I’m not Cathiloc but they all went to Catholic schools; not that all State Schools are like Hornsby was, but because they could be. A heavily Union or left wing orientated Principal could negate all that is good about the state school system. All of my children went on to teriary education and two, both men, teach. One in a private school and the other public. Don’t try and tell me it’s different – it isn’t. The responsibility of teaching young people is heavy and the all to often situation of teachers putting their point of view as fact to young impressionable minds is an abrogation of this responsibility and should be cause for censure. And no! I am not suggesting all state schools have this problem. They don’t, but while the left wing is in the ascendency in the tertiary institutions it will surface all too regularly. I don’t want my right wing views espoused as fact either. Kids need to be taught that there are different views on how things should be and given a good impartial education should be able to make up their own minds when they mature. Howard is right, there is a problem and the biggest aspect of that problem is the left wing refusing to see it. Like the ABC, proof that there is bias is emphasised by the fact that the left wing never complain about bias – it’s biased their way. While we’re discussing education can we bury this red herring that suggests Federal Government funding suggests some social engineering project on the Government’s part. The fact that the Feds allocate more funding to Private schools than State is a part of their charter. The States have the responsibility of funding their own schools. The Government helps State and ensures private schools have some funding as they do eduacate over 30% of our kids. Don’t be alarmed though, the Australian public knows all this and will says so come the election.