Due to recently introduced reforms, 1000s of NSW students could potentially be prevented from receiving their HSC.

The new reforms mean that NSW students who do not receive a Band 8 or above in their Year 9 NAPLAN will only receive a HSC if they pass subsequent maths and literacy tests.

In 2016, 65 percent of Year 9 students did not achieve a band 8 in writing with only 47% receiving a band 8 in reading and 41% in Numeracy.

Band 8 and above is not as easy to achieve for some.
A protest is underway to change the new reforms in the form of a protest through change.org, stating that the HSC reforms which take effect in 2017 should be scrapped because they will label over 50 percent of students as failures three years before they even reach Year 12.

A further concern is that it will establish a ‘winners and losers’ environment in schools leading to bullying, depression and even possible teen suicide.

The reforms fail to recognise students who excel in non-academic areas such as art and design but struggle with English and maths, and others who blossom later.

“These reforms are quite simply discriminatory and offensive while at the same time badly thought out, unacceptable and contrary to what school is meant to be,” Michelle Morrison, retired Salamander Bay teacher, told Bay News Of The Area.

“If we want better educational outcomes, then we need to not exclude some children but rather look to better educational models to emulate,” Ms Morrison said.

Michelle Morrison suggested we should look at Scandinavian countries whose results are often higher than ours and who do not follow the same driven, developmental outcome model we do.

Much of the Scandinavian model includes play for much of the day resulting in less pressure, more fun and less paperwork for teachers.

Go to Change.org to sign the petition and www.facebook.com/HOPE4HSC

By Jewell DRURY