The Corruption of the Curriculum

Edited by Robert Whelan

The authors - all of whom write from years of practical experience in the classroom - argue that the school curriculum has been corrupted by political interference. Successive governments see schools as a means of promoting social and political goals rather than traditional academic disciplines.

Geography is used as a vehicle for environmentalism; history neglects major events and personalities; science classes in which pupils discuss global warming without having the knowledge base on which to make an informed judgement; language classes that are supposed to boost international competitiveness but leave the literature and cultures of other countries unexamined; English classes in which the love of language is trumped by the ethnicity and gender of authors; and maths in which basic concepts such as fractions are repeated year after year without ever having enough time to sink in.

The contributors to this book argue that we need to return to the traditional view of education as a means of transmitting a body of knowledge from one generation to the next, and that academic rigour and respect for the professionalism of teachers should take precedence over political manipulation of the curriculum.

Softcover, 155 pp.