Reining in the managerialists

As educators in the public education system we share a common belief in the transformative value of education and teaching and learning as the core task of the public education system, writes MAREE O'HALLORAN.

The philosophy we share as teachers is diametrically opposed to the rampant managerialism that now permeates from the State Government through the senior echelons of the Department and into schools, TAFE colleges and other workplaces. Exposing and reining in that managerialism must be a priority for Federation. Some of the tangible and deleterious effects of managerialism are the separation of the Office of the Board of Studies from the Department, the appointment of a Director-General because he was not an educator and the fact that the Institute of Teachers will have non-teachers in control.

The zenith of managerialism in education was reached when the Office of the Board of Studies was established as a separate entity from the Department of Education and Training. One of the purposes was to suppress and control public education teachers. One of the results has been a disastrous schism between the development of curriculum and the implementation process in our schools. This schism was recognised by both Professor Vinson and Dr Eltis in their respective reviews. Indeed the difficulties engendered by the split have reached farcical proportions with the attempt to implement the recommendations of the Eltis Review. The Board and the Department are each responsible for different components and separate consultative processes are occurring.

At the behest for Federation, both consultation process deadlines have been extended. Federation rejects the current DET proposal for implementing the Eltis recommendations on assessment and reporting. The Board's proposals also need reworking. As they stand, the inevitable result is a narrower K-6 curriculum placing less emphasis on the development of higher order analytical skills.

If the zenith of managerialism was the separation of the Board and the Department, the appointment as Director-General of Andrew Cappie-Wood, a self-styled expert in "change management", is dangerously symbolic. This Director-General was appointed precisely because he was not from "education" and was an expert in change.

The Director-General inherited a restructure designed to rip $70-$80 million from the public education budget with a loss of 1000 positions. Schools and TAFE colleges are now experiencing the chaos and lack of support that was, of course, inevitable. The Director-General's response has been to appoint more Assistant Directors-General while our schools and colleges continue to lack support in many areas.

One of the offshoots of the managerialist culture which permeates the Department is the rise of intimidation and bullying in our workplaces. The Director-General's experience in change management could, of course, profitably be turned to the serious issue of between staff bullying.

In a paper prepared in September 2003, Deidre Duncan from the Australian Catholic University and Dr Riley from the University of New England report that bullying is not restricted to the playground, rather it is increasingly reported to exist in the staffrooms of Australian schools. Their paper cites research that indicates that bullying between staff in schools may be more common than between students. Importantly, the issue of "permitted" or sanctioned bullying by those holding positional or personal power is identified as an area needing further research. Duncan and Riley state that: "... the behaviour of some managers is not acceptable and if left unchecked can cripple individuals and organisations on several levels." Federation is preparing a campaign to confront workplace bullying which includes reviving democratic decision-making in our schools. Recognition of the problem by the Director-General and a cultural change throughout the Department would be a positive exercise in change management practice.

The cult of managerialism is also a facet in the ever increasing workload of teachers. The work prepared by the Excessive Teacher Workload Committee of Federation Council identified four inter-related strands increasing the workload of teachers. They were:

• enlarged and intensified work attached to teaching and learning;
• increased pressure on teachers to perform additional tasks;
• pressure to perform non-teaching tasks;
• insufficient resources in schools.

Council has developed a range of strategies for the workload campaign, including mandating by award a lunch break for teachers. The long-term strategy must be to increase release time for all teachers.

On the issue of resources for schools, the Auditor-General, Bob Sendt, issued a report on November 17, 2004 which painted a grim picture of school maintenance. The Vinson Report published in 2002 identified the "frequently sub-standard conditions in which teaching and learning are being attempted". The Auditor-General found that schools were so hampered by a $115 million maintenance backlog that many items were now beyond repair.

The state of school repair is indicative of the lack of respect by governments for students and teachers. Federal and state government funding to public education is simply inadequate. The Federal Government's additional $700,000 over four years to public schools is to be distributed via parent groups so that local Coalition Government MPs receive kudos for the allocation. Let's hope that, like state MPs, they also begin to feel the electoral heat of this burning issue.

2004 was a huge year for members with the campaigns for salary justice, public education, to defeat contracts and to save equity programs among many others. On behalf of the Federation I wish everyone a well-deserved holiday. Staffing and salaries will be priority campaigns next year. As we close 2004 there is some cause for optimism that a staffing agreement may be reached, which would be a great breakthrough.

For further information

December 2004 contents