Proposals for NCEA science risk taking our curriculum down a rabbit hole at a time when the Government should be focused on turning around our declining achievement in science, National’s Education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.
The proposals divide science into ‘matauranga putaiao’ (Maori understanding of the natural world) and ‘western science’.
Mr Goldsmith says he would like to see Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins call it ‘western science’ to the leading rocket scientists or specialists in artificial intelligence in China and India.
“It suggests the curriculum leaders don’t know the first thing about the subject. Science is universal no matter where you come from. Calling it ‘western science’ is an insult to half the world.
“But more importantly, how will these sorts of muddled distractions help turn around our declining achievement in the subject?
“International studies show Kiwi kids are falling behind the best in the world in science and in the latest National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement of Science just 20 per cent of year 8 students were achieving at or above expectations.
“An equally important question is what is meant by the statement, ‘the two world views and bodies of knowledge (matauranga putaiao and so-called western science) are separate and need to be considered separately. One should not be given greater status than the other – both have authority.’
“Is the Government telling our children that the collective wisdom of all the cultures of the globe, over millennia and up to today, what we might call modern science, should be given no greater authority in the subject of science than the insights and traditions of one culture?
“In practical terms, and in terms of limited class time, what does this mean? How will this help us reverse our declining relative performance in the global endeavour that the rest of the world calls science?
“Our nation’s prosperity depends on Kiwi kids receiving a world-class education in science.
“This Government has lost sight of the basics in education: getting the kids to school, teaching them a world class curriculum and measuring performance to ensure they’re making progress.
“If we want our kids to succeed globally, we need to educate them to the highest global standards.”
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