1989 School Magazine

Each year when School resumes, it is never a surprise to open the newspapers and read articles which reopen the perennial education debate - What is the fundamental purpose of education? This year was no exception when in January, The Times on Sunday, presented an article entitled "What Every Child Needs: Beauty, Truth and Maths". Whether it be business, unions, teachers, parents, or politicians, all think they have the answer. Unfortunately such debate is always strongest when a nation is facing economic difficulties, for it is perceived that education, or lack thereof, is the cause of all the ills that beset a nation. lt is therefore not surprising that during the past two to three years there have been unprecedented efforts to reorganise and change educational structures in all States, as well as at the National level. lt is saddening that much is being attempted without proper consideration of the question posed above - "What does every child need?" - and that little has been done to determine the rationale for change or even to determine if, at this time, major changes are really desirable. More utilitarian programs have been designed and often implemented, replacing much of the liberal tradition that has been the hallmark of our Schools and their curricula. Continual negatively geared debate about education does not help to breed confidence in parents, students, and prospective employers, and indeed, can be considered as most destructive to the health of the nation. I do not intend to debate this issue today in either its historical or political context, but rather to raise it in such a way that each one of you will be able to consider your own position and to determine your own personal responsibilities in this matter. Only a few weeks ago an article appeared in a local paper which alluded to the increased benefits perceived by parents for their children if they attend non-government schools. lt assumed that a "good" education can be bought and that those in the so called private sector have an edge over those not in that sector. What a sad state of affairs when we cause divisions between those who have and those who have not. All children, irrespective of the School they attend, are entitled to a good education. Carth Boomer recently stated in a paper entitled Making State Schools Creater that "Sadly, while we tend to have confidence in our own neighbourhood school and its teachers, we are not so sure about other State Schools. The media slurs, gossip replete with alarnring anecdotes of decay and dissolution, dinner table horror stories of bad spelling and worse discipline in the "elsewhere school", all seem to fuel a panic that our State Schools generally are on the slide, not the local School mind you, but the system in general". These sentirnents are not limited to people with students in State Schools, and I believe too many of us readily criticise other systems and other Schools without considering the damage that we do to the image of education as a whole within this country. It is often said that we are a nation of "knockers" and this is no exception in our attitude to education. We need to stop "knocking" and accept how much good is going on in our Schools, whether State or Private. There is a need for continuous effort on the part of teachers, students and parents to promote a constructive attitude so that good

Three, it was pleasing to welcome Miss Bronwyn Myers back from Hungary after she successfully completed a one year Music Course at the Kodaly Pedagogical lnstitute of Music. She was awarded a Distinction in the area of Chamber Music and offered the Mrs. Z. Kodaly Scholarship to continue for a further twelve months. This was an outstanding achievement internationally. ln July of this year, Miss Trisha Cook was awarded a Crant from the Queen Elizabeth ll Jubilee Trust for Young Australians which will allow her to attend a course in Choral Conducting at Princeton next year. Various professional development activities have been organised during the year for members of the staff. Of particular note were the discussions relating to the Dawkin's Creen Paper at which the Chairman of the Board, Dr. Crassie, preserrted a Paper and a Workshop at which all staff addressed the issue of Pastoral Care within the School. Later in the year a workshop was arranged on developing strategies for future planning. This involved members of the Board, Senior Staff, and selected parents and was held over two days. As a result, several initiatives have been taken by the Board to consider future planning. Discussions have been held also between the Boards of Brisbane Crammar School and Cirls' Crammar with the aim of developing greater cooperation. This year, School Day was held on the same day as the Brisbane Crammar Open Day thus allowing parents and students from both Schools to have the opportunity to see the worl< in which our students are involved. Plans are under way for a joint development of an oval which will greatly improve sporting facilities at both Schools. Other areas of cooperation between the two Schools include Athene Club and combined musical activities, both of which provide added dimensions to the educational program. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brisbane Crammar School for their generosity in allowing us to use the Centenary Hall for Assembly each Monday and their ovals for sporting activities. The above report has been only a summary of some of the 'rnajor happenirrgs within the School during the past year. lt would be indeed impossible to record everything that has occurred. The contributions of so many help to mal