Following meetings in Canberra with politicians and the Secretary of the Department of Communications & the Arts in late February, the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE) has again focused on what it considers to be the flawed consultation process being undertaken by the NSW Education Syllabus Authority (NESA).
In its 10 May media release, NAAE objects to NESA ignoring the findings from its own consultation on the Draft Directions of the Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus late last year, and asserts that ‘NESA’s proposals are an unacceptable deviation from the 2013 and 2015 agreements by all federal, state and territory arts ministers to the national Australian Curriculum: The Arts F-10.’
NAAE has requested an urgent meeting with the NSW Education Minister, Mr Rob Stokes, to discuss our concerns. While applauding his comments about the importance of the arts and humanities in the curriculum when delivering his Balmoral Lecture at Queenwood School recently, we are very concerned that the current NSW draft curriculum will not achieve this goal.
NAAE has also written to the Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, congratulating him on highlighting the importance of arts education in his Address-in-Reply speech on Thursday 10 May. Copies also went to Arts & Education shadow ministers, Tony Burke and Tania Plibersek.