Urgent Call for Educational Reform in Victoria
Victoria’s education system faces a crisis with a 64% decline in VCE enrolments for Australian history and politics over the past decade. The Herald Sun analysis highlighted this alarming trend in Victorian education.
In 2024, only 424 students enrolled in Australian history. This represents a sharp drop from 1,181 in 2014. Meanwhile, Australian politics saw an even steeper decline, with enrolments falling from 238 to just 86. Schools offering Australian history have also decreased significantly from 81 to 36.
Jane Foreman from Family First called for an urgent reset. She stated, “When fewer than 90 students in the entire state are studying how our democracy works, we have a crisis on our hands. You cannot be a citizen of a country you know nothing about.”
Impact on Civic Knowledge
The decline in enrolments results from an education system that has progressively sidelined foundational knowledge. Ms. Foreman argues that this trend leaves students without a comprehensive understanding of their nation’s history and democratic processes.
Family First has long advocated for making Australian history and civics compulsory from Year 5 to Year 10. This curriculum would cover the nation’s founding, constitutional democracy, the ANZAC legacy, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Ms. Foreman criticised the Allan Labour Government for not addressing this trend. She said, “A government serious about the future of Victoria would be alarmed by these numbers.”
Subjects like environmental science have seen enrolments nearly triple. This indicates a shift in curricular priorities. However, Ms. Foreman believes this reflects broader ideological pressures rather than a balanced education.
“Of course students should understand environmental issues,” Ms. Foreman said. “But a student who can recite climate policy and cannot name the branches of government, or who has never studied Federation, is not educated. They are half-educated. We owe our children more than that.”
Family First’s education platform calls for Australian history and civics to be compulsory, with incentives for schools to maintain and promote these subjects. According to Ms. Foreman, the current trends in Victorian education highlight the need for urgent reform to ensure students receive a well-rounded education.
