Minister justifies pen and paper test

On Wednesday 29 March, the Minister for Education and Training, Carmel Tebbutt, gave a detailed answer in Parliament to a question without notice about the Computer Skills Assessment Test. In that answer, she justified the pen and paper option because some non-government schools that do not allow the use of technology in their schools requested it.

The Minister said:

"One of the complaints from the Opposition that has been around for some time is that there is a written option for the test. As usual, members opposite have it wrong and I want to set the record straight. The written option was in large part provided at the request of some non-government schools that do not allow the use of technology in their schools. In order to ensure that those schools and their students are not excluded there is a pen and paper option." (Hansard, NSW Parliament, 29 March 2006)

Why is it that the State Government is funding private schools which are clearly denying students opportunities by refusing to implement the full Board of Studies curriculum?

The Minister went on to say:

"Every government school in New South Wales has the capacity to complete the test on-line. There are 35,000 computers for the 55,000 students sitting the test. That is a ratio of 1 computer to every 1.4 students. I call on the Opposition to show faith in our year 10 students and their performance. They will do the test well. I have every faith in them and I do not know why the Opposition cannot demonstrate the same sort of faith." (Hansard, NSW Parliament, 29 March 2006)

So the Minister expects that all the computers in high and central schools will be working on the days of the test and that teachers will shuffle students through the classrooms where the computers are, to do the test online.

The Minister seems determined to ignore the real situation in schools.

The Teachers Federation again calls on the Minister and the Government to delay the implementation of the Computer Skills Assessment Test till 2007.

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Last Modified: 30 Mar 2006