SCIENCE AND MATHS TEACHING

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon) (14:46): Can the Minister for Education advise the house of what is being done to improve science teaching in our primary schools?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his question. Science and maths knowledge is fundamental to innovation and development, and that is particularly important here in South Australia, where we are seeing industries—

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Finniss!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —especially in the high tech area providing lots of new opportunities for young people, and they, of course, will require sound maths and science skills.

In South Australia and in the world generally there has been a steady trend away from maths and science study in recent decades, and we recognised that early here. In 2003 we introduced a $2.1 million science and maths strategy to put greater emphasis on maths and science in schools. We also developed our SACE maths and science program to link universities and industry with schools to bring maths and science to life. The critical thing was to make sure that students could see something interesting and inspiring about the study of maths and science, because we know that when you engage students that is how they learn.

We have created incentives to encourage good science and maths teachers to take up roles in remote, rural and low socioeconomic schools. Just last year, in partnership with the commonwealth government, we launched the Primary Schools for the Future policy, which injected $105 million over the next four years into our private schools to improve science and maths education, as well as literacy education, in our state.

In a first for Australia, this strategy will ensure that primary school children have minimum times of science, maths and literacy teaching. In science and maths from next year, years 4 to 7 students will have a minimum of two hours of science teaching per week, while year 3 students will have 90 minutes. A key part of the strategy is an investment in teaching. We know that, if school-based factors have an effect on students, teacher quality is by far the most important factor, but each of us would also know that from our own evidence.

I am sure that all of you would have experienced a teacher who inspired you in school and who made learning so much deeper. We understand that, so we are providing specialist science and maths training for all primary school teachers, and we will continue to do that until 2012. The training is in new ways of teaching science and maths, where children are actively engaged in exploring, allowing them to work out explanations for themselves rather than just having a directed program of instruction. The central idea is that if children enjoy what they are learning they will learn much more deeply.

I am pleased to announce that, out of about 7,500 primary school teachers in the public school system, 5,000 have already completed the specialist science training courses, and they are now in schools putting that training to good use, giving our children the best science teaching available. This is a significant boost to science learning in our primary schools. It also sends a significant signal to teachers about how we recognise their key role in educational achievement. We are unashamedly shining more light on teachers, but at the same time we want to give them the tools that they need to be able to deliver the outcomes we expect from schools.

I think it is fair to say that in this country at the moment we are in the midst of an education revolution. We have seen an almost doubling of investment—an extraordinary amount of extra investment—in education since 2007 and the election of the Labor government. I think it is also fair to say that we stand on the cusp of a massive choice in direction: do we actually go back to what we had before, where we lose that forward momentum in education—which I think would be tragic—or are we going to continue this incredibly important partnership which has developed between the commonwealth and state governments in the sphere of education and, in particular, public education?