John Howard, opinionating in the SMH

"Our goal is simple: we don't want uniformity, but we do want nationwide high standards in schools to ensure every Australian student receives the best possible foundation in core subjects."

-----------------------

Gus: good gawd... "foundation in core subject..." Sure and the little man has had the goad for the last ten years to throw at us non-core and core policies with the slithering elasticity of a snake, has had the goad to give us the lowest standard of honesty in politics by lying at every street corners. His biggest fad is to deny his next move and then throw it at us... One of his latest, denying Malcolm will be a minister for water and then a couple of month later do exactly that. His biggest turnip was to tell us that "no he was not committed to war in Iraq" when our troops were being send there already committed to support his mate Bush (the silly kid short of plank leading the high cost free-world) already committed to war.

And as he pats himself on the back in this boasting column, one cannot forget the cost of university education going through the roof and becoming unaffordable to the poorer families...

And the rodent cannot count:

"greater choice and accountability; higher standards; and more national consistency."

Sure, we always aspire for the best, but under Johnnee boy we're at the mercy, under blackmail of the ugliest kind: do it my way or else... A way designed to yet again diminish the States of this country. In fact the states should and have consultation on a more unified education curriculum... But Johnny wants his and his tantrums are typical of bullies, lying and sneaky bullies.

To mix Choice and Accountability in one swoop is cunning. It's two very different propositions that are mixed deliberately together by our national fudger to enforce his view, his rotten view considering his own standards of porkying to the public.

Beware of a Prime Minister bearing gifts or a cane... either way you're in for a flogging.

From the NYT

University Built on Profits Is Facing Growing Trouble

By SAM DILLON

Published: February 11, 2007 PHOENIX — The University of Phoenix became the nation’s largest private university by delivering high profits to investors and a solid, albeit low-overhead, education to midcareer workers seeking college degrees.

President William J. Pepicello says the university meets the needs of working students. But its reputation is fraying as prominent educators, students and some of its own former administrators say the relentless pressure for higher profits, at a university that gets more federal student financial aid than any other, has eroded academic quality.

From the ABC

States, territories reject Bishop's pay plan for teachers
The states and territories have rejected the federal Education Minister's push for performance-based pay for teachers.

At their ministerial meeting in Darwin, they agreed to national consistency in school curriculums, but they could not agree on a school starting age.

Western Australia's Mark McGowan says the states and territories did not accept the performance pay proposal because Julie Bishop's model was unfair.

"We already have as states and territories performance-based pay for teachers based upon a sensible workable model," he said.

"What she has proposed is a grab bag of rash ideas as to how you analyse a teacher's performance."

On a lot of issues, there is an undeniable noticeable convergence in the Western World... and these are not accidental nor evolutionary in the sense of "natural nexts" but are the results of sheer forceful yet discreet input from the G8 nations' work at all levels — from leaders down to bureaucrats — the World Trade Organization and other bilateral agreement between countries that go beyond selling a few smokescreens.

There is a strong thrust to homogenise political agendas and policies in all countries as to push this or that aspect of doing things. On the surface it would appear as a unification factor in which one would share goals with others but this is not the case. It is a question of power and control, all done with a certain amount of elasticity as not to kill the goose. There are some smart manipulators out there behind the front spruiking men.

And Australia does not escape this goosian momentum, despite not being a G8 nation. The tactics and the flow-on from the G8 meetings are designed to modify government around the world to eventually suit one model of rule. Every government knows how far to push this agenda within their own countries until they guess they're on the nose from the electors, so they back off... or seem to back off. Such are the extraordinary back-flips, illusionary 180-degree-turns that are full 360 degrees below the belt, as, secretly, other twists and vicious turns, that we don't see, will make things happen as the governments wish, not as what people want. Democracy? Niet. Bureaucracy? in part... Oligarchy of the rich? yes.

As a small example, if you follow today's news and see Julie Bishop toot a new form of education or promoting performance pay for teacher as she's done for a few months, there is no escaping the fact that around the world, right-wing governments are pushing hard to get the same education policy. In the US the process has been in the pipeline for a few years. As a result, a certain percentage — critical numbers being targeted by the rulers — of teacher could support such schemes, thus achieving the normal dream of invading hordes: divide and conquer the mob. In this slowly but inexorably implemented system, everyone becomes an island, only connecting by a few dollars more or less and illused by entertainment manufactured by a willing media. The psychopaths, those people who do not care much beyond their own advancement, swim best. This development is not ad-hoc but part of the "conspiracy" by the G8 to unify the world, by division of people, especially those with a social conscience — like you divide stuff in a blender to homogenise a soup. Dissent voices become isolated, ineffectual due to the core group being reduce to a few lumps. Charitable systems are replacing social justice to minimise the hurt of some, but as many get hurt, we are told it's in the national interest or that things have never been so good. Good or bad, the process is to demonise unions, empower individuals with illusions of greed, enslave most with credit and definitely remove the concept of sharing anything but the air that floats around, till they, the rulers of greed, can find ways to make you pay for it in cubic metres or feet...

Far too may example of such can be spotted here and there around the globe, in whatever "western world" lingo you care to name... with our own leaders doing the deeds in favour of master control — the US Administration. With its fake war on Iraq, the US administration, under the influence of the neo-cons, secretly admired by most of the psychopaths we are, is also pushing the same barrow in the Muslim world. Whether it succeeds or not in "victory" is secondary to the main prize which is to divide and conquer... in whatever mess is created. Sure peace would be nice, but to some extend by having no truth expectations about that (just rhetoric and flamboyant words) the decision to invade was made with the purpose of staying there, no matter what... and make sure there is no local unity to oppose this concept... We generously offer lollies and bullets in a psychopathic manner.

We are at the mercy of the psychopaths in charge of our systems...

----------------
Long Reviled, Merit Pay Gains Among Teachers

Here in Minneapolis, for instance, the teachers’ union is co-operating with Minnesota’s Republican governor on a plan in which teachers in some schools work with mentors to improve their instruction and get bonuses for raising student achievement. John Roper-Batker, a science teacher here, said his first reaction was dismay when he heard his school was considering participating in the plan in 2004.

“I wanted to get involved just to make sure it wouldn’t happen,” he said.

But after learning more, Mr. Roper-Batker said, “I became a salesman for it.” He and his colleagues have voted in favor of the plan twice by large margins.

----------------------

Welcome to your "next". See cartoon at the head of this line of blog...

As I just finished penning the blog above, this item appears on the ABC website...

------------------

Govt to review geography teaching in schools

Posted 3 hours 56 minutes ago

The Federal Government is to review the teaching of geography in schools.

The study will look at what is being taught to students between years three and 10.

Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop says there are concerns that geography is not a priority and in some cases the subject is too political.

"We will look at core subjects, those subjects that are of greatest concern to parents and teachers," he said.

"They raise they issues with the Federal Government because they don't seem to get the support they're looking for from the state education departments and state education ministers and state Labor governments, so we're prepared to take on board their concerns."

-------------------------------

Yet this is the "next"... Declaring on geography "there are concerns it's not a priority..." and "in some cases the subject is too political..." It sounds as if the red Bolsheviks were running the subject in educashun — when it is taught as if it was not taught enough with the pink bits of the map in mind — but in fact the reverse is true... So the idea is there that something has to be done, like wiping out the Bolsheviks out of education... simple tactics of divisive push... and blame the States...

Where's my eraser?

 

Gus: this would make Bushit and his little men in brown tights spew their chowder...

Ms Bishop would go and see where Venezuela was on the map... definitely not a pink bit... 

From good old Chavez country...:

------------------------ 

“We’re Marxist-Leninists,” Robert Longa, 30, the group’s chief spokesman, said nonchalantly in a recent interview, as if the Berlin Wall had never come down. “The counterrevolutionaries at Globovisión sprayed their own graffiti on the consciousness of the Venezuelan people. We felt we had to react to them.”

The collective is among the most prominent of more than 40 groups, many of them armed and organized around various schools of leftist thought, that function throughout 23 de Enero, a sprawling housing complex interspersed with makeshift hovels, said Alejandro Velasco, a historian at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., who specializes in Venezuelan leftist movements.

Bishop defends 'dead' WorkChoices

Ms Bishop says the new Labor Government should not throw out all of the reforms made under the Coalition.

Federal Liberal MP Julie Bishop, who is vying for the deputy leadership position, has defended the outgoing Coalition government's WorkChoices legislation.

The controversial legislation has been cited as a reason for the Coalition's crushing election defeat, and former workplace relations minister Joe Hockey says Labor now has a mandate to rip it up.

------------

Gus: see toon at top... as an aside, it would have been funny to have the Abbott as the leader and the Bishop as the deputy... Work choices is "dead"... some of its part might still be (and remain) in place for some Australian workers, but the gist of it is "dead"...

When will they get the message? 

Today the Liberals decided to oppose Labor's transition bill to get rid of AWA individual contracts. Desperate to keep WorkChoices in business, the Liberals retain control of the Senate until mid-2008.

They could drag out the vote on Labor's Forward with Fairness industrial relations changes for months on end. 

The Liberals' decision to block Labor's IR laws isn't just undemocratic. It will hurt thousands of workers. Recent Government figures show that despite the fact the Liberals decisively lost the election, around a thousand workers are still forced to sign unfair WorkChoices AWAs every day.

The Liberals' stance today could result in businesses continuing to push workers onto lower paid individual contracts until late 2008. 

The Rudd Labor Government plans to table legislation to abolish AWAs next Thursday.