PLATO Media Release 15 September 2006 – for immediate release

State School Teachers Defy Union 'OBE Compromise'

More and more members of the State School Teachers Union are highly critical of the lack of leadership demonstrated by union president Mike Keely and the union executive.

"It's time the union executive remembered that it represents teachers, not the Curriculum Council and not the education minister," said a south of the river secondary teacher and union member.

Secondary physics teacher and PLATO co-founder Marko Vojkovic agrees. "Keely claims that he has to represent 'all the members' of the union, but so far he has only represented those in favour of OBE and levelling. Does he agree with the findings of the Andrich report, which said direct levelling is way too crude for calculating students' TER, and far too ambiguous to use in student reports? If so, why is he prepared to stand back and let his members struggle to implement a totally invalid assessment scheme? If not, where does he think Andrich got it wrong?"

"Just because the union signed off on the Curriculum Framework does not require it to support levelling in upper secondary school," Mr Vojkovic said.

Newman Senior High School teacher and long-time union activist Patrick Whalen says the union has "sold out secondary teachers".

"The only view allowed at the state council meeting in June was that of the union executive," Mr Whalen said. "Mike Keely tried to move the 'OBE compromise' motion before the workshops had even met to discuss it, and then ran roughshod over the workshop reports."

"The union executive has realised they lack the support of members since the survey of May 2005. That's why they refuse to release the results," Mr Whalen claimed.

"In light of the Andrich Report and recent meetings of secondary teachers, it is now time for the Union to admit they got it wrong. The union must withdraw support of OBE and levelling in upper secondary. There is no disgrace in admitting an error. Mike Keely just has to state that the union's initial approval of the Curriculum Framework was based on an untried theory - a theory which does not work in practice."

"It's not the union's job to save face for the worst Education Minister since Alan Carpenter," Mr Whalen added.

"The last thing we need is another working party, another gab-fest and another delay," Mr Vojkovic said. "At the last professional development day attended by all upper secondary teachers, 93 per cent rejected the new courses of study, largely because of the levelling system of assessment. That figure would be even higher today."

Patrick Whalen agrees. "The union should immediately release the result of their survey, or even better, conduct a new one, now that we've had a year to see just how bad the proposed assessment really is. If the executive fails to do this, I predict a massive revolt by rank and file members."