Australian Democrats

1. What is your party's vision for science education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels?

Our vision for the teaching of science is that it should be presented to everyone as a search for the truth. In primary school, science education should use the natural curiosity of children and should be done through simple experimentation "what happens if ..."? In secondary school, the same approach applies, though in successive years a growing proportion of time would be spent in presenting scientific knowledge as a way of understanding the world around us. It would be a travesty for science to be taught only as dogma, though this happens when teachers do not possess scientific qualifications and are not trained with the spirit of enquiry. Tertiary science education must preserve the balance between world-class research - the search for truth - and the teaching of scientific knowledge for vocational purposes.

2. What does your party think science is for?

Science is a search for truth and reality, insofar as it can be found by observation and the results of science are some of the main distinguishing features of modern civilisation. A search for truth requires open inquiry, and its results do not depend on the status, gender, race or beliefs of the inquirers. It is therefore international, universal and democratic. Science is self-correcting since fallacies will sooner or later clash with observation and be corrected. If we accept that reality is the soundest basis on which to make decisions and to run society, then science is a model by which the policies and institutions of society can be judged.

3. What is the social purpose and significance of science and science education in Australia?

Science presents the idea that truth is the final arbiter, however inconvenient or unpalatable for society. In adittion, the search for the truth turns up many results that are useful and that can be exploited commercially. In fact, many people think that the results of science (that is scientific knowledge) are science itself. They mistakenly see the value of science mainly in terms of these technological by-products and think that teaching science is the dogmatic presentation of current scientific knowledge. Certainly, scientific knowledge is useful and we should seek to enlarge it, though we should not forget the real, though less tangible, benefits of science as a search for the truth.

4. Given that 50% of the teaching population is within retirement age in the next 7 years, how would you encourage able recent graduates into science teaching?

Teachers must now do more with less resources and their efforts have been undermined by criticism, often by governments. The Democrats support all the reccommendations of the Senate report - A Class Act * - and these go some way to improve the attraction of teaching as a profession. Where newly graduated science teachers recieved salaries which were close to those in the physical sciences field back in 1977, by 1996, graduate teacher salaries had dropped to 84.5% of their non-teaching counterparts. This decline is common across most disciplines and must be addressed if we are to attract and keep good teachers. A further problem in attracting teachers is the lack of worthwhile career paths and the tendency in many states for teachers to be employed on short term contracts.

5. How would you address declining enrolments in senior secondary and tertiary science studies?

One of the likely reasons why enrolments in science have declined in schools is the lack of appropriately trained and inspiring teachers. Good teachers enthuse students and the shortage of science teachers, especially in rural areas, means that many are teaching science without the necessary qualifications - an unsatisfactory situation for both teachers and students. Until the shortage is addressed, such teachers need professional development to allow them to upgrade their qualifications and on-going support with up-to-date teaching facilities.

Funding for research and development in this country has fallen by 4.6% since the Coalition cut the R&D concession in 1996. Young people need to see a future in their study of science and they need rolw models, appropriately acknowledged and rewarded. In negotiations with a Coalition Government on their Tax package, the Democrats will insist that the concession be restored and continue to point out that we now lag well behind out trading partners in our level of investment in R & D in this country.

6. Do you have any special plans for special programs targeting science education?

The Democrats would rely on educators to put forward proposals for special programs. The Coalition has `broadbanded' most of the Commonwealth programs of the previous government and we regard this and other moves away from Federal government initiatives in education as unwise. We would strongly support a campaign to provide such programs.

7. Should beginning science teachers pay a differential HECS to non-science teachers?

No. A differential HECS acts as a disincentive for young people entering science teaching and is anyway discriminatory because their earnings are no higher than other teachers. HECS is unlikely to be abolished by whichever major party forms government and, as a fallback, we will campaign for exemptions from HECS and science scholarships as a way of attracting teachers

8. Given that 25% of beginning science teachers abandon plans to teach within 3 years of teacher training, how can we keep excellent teachers teaching?

This is an enormous loss to schools and a waste of the investment in science teacher education. As the TIMSS Report ** says, 52% of science and mathematics teachers would prefer to be in other jobs. This is an appalling state of affairs and we will continue to urge state and federal governments to address the problem. See previous answers too.

Responses from Senator Lyn Allison - Democrats spokesperson for schools

* A Class Act - An Inquiry into the status of Teachers. Australian Senate Report. March 1998.