democracy!



http://images.smh.com.au/2011/02/19/2193477/Rouse_Hill-420x0.jpg

Confucius says school's in, but don't mention democracy
Justin Norrie
February 20, 2011



Great leap forward ... Rouse Hill Public School Mandarin students with teachers Ginny Lim (left) and Lily Fang, a volunteer from China. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

CHINA will pay NSW schools more than $200,000 to promote its language and culture in a move hailed by second-language advocates but seen by others as part of a Chinese "soft power" offensive.

Senior figures from the state Education Department say the venture plays a large part in pushing better literacy in Asian languages. But they concede that situations could arise where it was "best [for students] not to engage in" discussions about controversial subjects such as the massacre in Tiananmen Square or China's human rights record, raising questions about China's influence over the program's content.

The newly formed Confucius Institute, funded largely by China and based at the Education Department's Ryde office, is set to open in April. It will provide teachers from China to help oversee "Confucius classrooms" for more than 3000 students in seven schools from the second half of the year, and has plans to expand the program to more schools.


Since 2004, China has spent millions of dollars establishing Confucius institutes in universities across the world, including Sydney, to support language and culture studies. Dr Phil Lambert, regional director of the department's Sydney branch, said the NSW partnership was the first to be formed with a school body.

The sudden proliferation of institutes worldwide has prompted concerns that the Communist government is using the non-profit public centres as a tool to scrub clean its image abroad.

In an academic paper published last year, the Queensland University of Technology research student Falk Hartig said that "when it comes to certain sensitive topics, Confucius institutes turn quiet or even silent". It would be best to understand them not as "propaganda tools" but as "one instrument of China's cultural diplomacy to wield and bolster Chinese soft power globally".

In NSW, seven bilingual teachers from China would help local teachers "enhance the Chinese language curriculum already in schools, but they'll also go further than that", said Dr Lambert, one of the institute's six board members.

"The syllabus provides baseline Mandarin, and the Confucius classrooms augment that and also add a lot more than that in terms of contemporary culture and also the history of China."

The seven Chinese teachers would also be available to assist at other schools.

Sensitive topics, such as Falun Gong, Taiwan, Tibet and Tiananmen Square, could cause problems if they arose in class, Dr Lambert conceded. "Look, there are topics that are best not to engage in ... there are so many other topics to discuss. But generally our approach in those situations is: this is the view of the issue from the Chinese government, it's a very sensitive matter, and the subject of very strong views in China, there is another view and this is that view. Teachers by and large handle those things very well.

"The main thing is, it's very much in our interests for our children to be learning Mandarin and to have a good understanding of how contemporary China works."

For the first year, the Office of the Chinese Language Council International will pay $150,000 to fund the institute and $10,000 to each of the schools for resources and other expenses. It will also cover the travel, accommodation and salaries of the Chinese teachers. The funding, which will dwarf contributions by other countries to other language programs run by the department, will be reviewed annually.

Staff at Confucius institutes on Sydney university campuses told The Sun-Herald that authorities in Beijing had never threatened their academic freedom.

There was little difference between the work done by Confucius institutes and the activities of France's Alliance Francaise or Germany's Goethe Institut, which are not connected to universities, said Cathryn Hlavka, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of NSW.


http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/confucius-says-schools-in-but-dont-mention-democracy-20110219-1b09x.html

Note the Australian flag in the background?

I'll bet they put it there just for the scoop.

When 31 little hands go up and ask...."Miss, what's that blue red and white thing hanging up on our display board?"

::)

They probably think its the UK flag  :)

I dont have a problem with it to be honest.. I have often wondered if interpreters tell it like it is..look dont you think the m ore we know the better the boot always seems to be on the other foot.. English is the norm in most schools of the world..yet learning another language here is optional.

cods wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 3:51pm:

I dont have a problem with it to be honest.. I have often wondered if interpreters tell it like it is..look dont you think the m ore we know the better the boot always seems to be on the other foot.. English is the norm in most schools of the world..yet learning another language here is optional.

Perhaps, but while they are being drip-fed other nations communist ideals, they could be learning more about democracy, and their own Australian culture.

I'll bet if you asked each of those children in the above photo if they know what the significance of ANZAC day is, or what the first verse of their Australian anthem is also, they wouldn't have a clue.

We should be promoting and teaching children our own culture, or has this government decided that this is no longer necessary in a multicult user-pays society?


8-)

Cods, they have been trying to take over for years, and unfortunately, Labor are historically notorious for selling us out to them, are now even selling them our children.

Australian tax payers would rather their children were being taught about their own culture...perhaps some maths, English, science even?

Or don't these things matter anymore?



Lu Kewen is a Chinaphile, but this doesn't mean we all have to be.

8-)

Having an interest in the lanuages and cultures of the power house of our region is a wise thing.
Learning French, Italian etc is good for a hobby but for business Mandarin and Japanese is the way to go.
My wife did her business management degree in Japan for that very reason.

Understanding the languages, business practices and cultures of our biggest trading partners will get our kids a lot further than learning how to knock up a meat pie.

Well being a teacher of more than 30 years with the NSW Dept of Education nothing would surprise me.........

I have enough trouble teaching Australian children the 3R's in between all the extra added curriculum activities of the past 10 years.

I say roll on a new Govt and roll out some of the rubbish that we are expected to teach children!!

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:13pm:

Understanding the languages, business practices and cultures of our biggest trading partners will get our kids a lot further than learning how to knock up a meat pie.

Stop undermining the value of teaching Australian children their own culture, before teaching them about other nations, thanks.

Australia first, not second!

8-)

Mellie..its been decades since China was a model for Communism..its the most capitalist country on the planet.
The Chinese govt can say it embraces Communism all it likes but we all know that since Deng Xiaoping the Chinese leadership and the country has grown to be anything but Communist.
Never get between the Chinese and a dollar  :)

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:13pm:

Understanding the languages, business practices and cultures of our biggest trading partners will get our kids a lot further than learning how to knock up a meat pie.

Very few children have any interest in these things and the more something is pushed at kids eventually the more they rebel.

This stuff would be better left to universities or mayb e those with an interest in Years 11 & 12.

Which culture is that mellie?
Or do you mean English culture?

As we speak, theres a white woman singing in Chinese on the ABC with a ukulele....

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:24pm:

Which culture is that mellie? Or do you mean English culture?

She means the Ausssie culture..... and if you don't know about it than it is time you got off the internet, into a car or bus or train and took a long journey out into the great land called Australia.

Nothing English about OZ mate..... we were built more on the German, Irish and whatever in our great land!!

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:24pm:

Which culture is that mellie? Or do you mean English culture?

Again, stop ridiculing our rich Australian culture, it's called reverse-discrimination, do you find this acceptable?

8-)

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:24pm:

Which culture is that mellie? Or do you mean English culture?

You obviously are a feathered city dweller who knows little about our great land!!

Maybe the reason for anglo Australian kids falling behind other kids in the school system is because their parents expectations of their own kids are very low.
Our universities are filling with kids of Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern backgrounds because their parents are willing to push them beyond yr 10 maths, science and english.
Is it any wonder the poorer outer suburbs are filling with anglo aussies while our wealthy cities are filling with aussies of many different races.
They can all learn about Aussie culture in the lower grades in primary school.

beware wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:29pm:

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20th, 2011 at 4:24pm: Which culture is that mellie? Or do you mean English culture? You obviously are a feathered city dweller who knows little about our great land!!

That or one of the Greens/ALP's meterosexual pro-multicults sitting in an air-conditioned Uni guild sipping on a bubble tea with a Chinese language textbook in front of them desperately hoping to compete with an outsourced workforce from china when they graduate.

;D

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:32pm:

Maybe the reason for anglo Australian kids falling behind other kids in the school system is because their parents expectations of their own kids are very low. Our universities are filling with kids of Vietnamese, Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern backgrounds because their parents are willing to push them beyond yr 10 maths, science and english. Is it any wonder the poorer outer suburbs are filling with anglo aussies while our wealthy cities are filling with aussies of many different races. They can all learn about Aussie culture in the lower grades in primary school.

If our educational standards are so low, tell me, why is it that most of our international students come from China?

And why is it that they form a majority of what's arriving in the way of immigration?

8-)

ok mellie..what is Australian culture, when did it start, does it include the last 50,000 years or just the last 200?
You want our kids to learn it above all else in schools so I am interested in what is, how long it will take to teach and how difficult it is to learn.
Is it the invasion-1901 British version or is it the truth?

Where did I say our education standards are low?
I said anglo aussies expectations of their kids are low compared to that of kids of parents from other cultures/races  :)
I know our education standards are amongst the highest in the world..its a shame more anglo aussies dont take advantage of it

beware wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:29pm:

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20th, 2011 at 4:24pm: Which culture is that mellie? Or do you mean English culture? You obviously are a feathered city dweller who knows little about our great land!!

Now we know why Gillard and alliances have continuously blocked country kids from gaining access to youth allowance.

http://search.news.com.au/related/id%3Astory_1226004677018/0/PM-vows-to-block-rural-students-bill/?us=ndmnews&sid=2&as=news&ac=travel&r=related

When apparently, they would rather they didn't have the same access to university's as city dwelling Kids.

What a smack in the face for rural communities this is.

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:40pm:

Where did I say our education standards are low? I said anglo aussies expectations of their kids are low compared to that of kids of parents from other cultures/races  :) I know our education standards are amongst the highest in the world..its a shame more anglo aussies dont take advantage of it

Australian parents are well within their rights demanding that their children be taught their own culture first, before being taught other peoples.

Other peoples should be an elective, not compulsory, this or form part of our children's primary school curriculum.

First things first.

8-)

Australia has many things in common with the rest of the world, though there are several parts of our national identity and culture which are peculiar to us. These are detailed in the sections below. They include emphasis on physical as opposed to mental achievement, the concept of mateship, Australian idiom, language and humour. The embracing of the concept of multiculturalism is also covered. Be aware that any culture and national identity is always changing.

This page looks at topics A to L including areas such as Art & Culture, Australian Identity, Humour, Educational Activities, Australian Values, Language and other general information.

The Second Page looks at topics M to Z including areas such as Mateship, Myths & Stereotypes, Multiculturalism, Social & Cultural Features and Sport.

In addition, there are databases, primary documents, reference material and other general information where these are seen to be relevant.

Information is aimed at undergraduate level. Some information may be useful at a higher level.

http://www.aussieeducator.org.au/tertiary/subjects/history/australian/culture.html

__________________

Adelcrow, I hope you find the above link beneficial.

:)

And of course, Australian parents are a mixture of many different cultures that they would all consider Australian.

What is Australian culture to a third generation Vietnamese/ Australian woman married to a 4th generation Italian/Australian man.
Are they less Australian than a second generation English/Australian couple because their cultural activities and lives are likely to be very different?
How about a 3rd generation Lebanese/Australian Muslim couple
I put it to you that after the British invasion of this country Australian culture is not that clear cut.

I put it to you that after the British invasion of this country Australian culture is not that clear cut.-adelcrow


Australia has it's own unique culture, so we should be teaching and encouraging new arrivals to assimilate and take on ours, not be secular and insular, this and 'dis' or deride our culture the way you have here as though it were something to be ashamed of, worthy of replacing as this is rather un-Australian, and anti-semetic indeed.

8-) We have our own identity, thanks.



______________________

Furthermore, defining a culture is much easier if you form part of it yourself, just for future reference.

Quote:

We have our own identity, thanks.

Define it.

Mod. wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 5:30pm:

Quote: We have our own identity, thanks. Define it.

So, if someone from say China advised they have a culture, would you demand they "prove' it, define it, before you would be satisfied they were entitled to teach their children their culture in their own schools also?

Australia has a well defined culture, and if you need me to define it for you then there's a good chance, you are not Australian yourself, in which case, I suggest you refer to the above link I posted for adelcrow.

This is our country, why should we have to defend our right to teach our children their own culture in their own nations schools?

Unbelievable!  

Who the hell do you think you are?

One of those 2nd generational immigrant un-Australian multicults?

This and think because you were born here yesterday have a right to redefine generations of Australian culture that existed before your parents even thought about getting on the boat?

Dream on sonny-Jim!

You may take the shirt off our backs, but you wont take from us our Australian culture.


Like it or lump it, our culture is here to stay.

8-)

beware wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 4:23pm:

adelcrow wrote on Feb 20th, 2011 at 4:13pm: Understanding the languages, business practices and cultures of our biggest trading partners will get our kids a lot further than learning how to knock up a meat pie. Very few children have any interest in these things and the more something is pushed at kids eventually the more they rebel. This stuff would be better left to universities or mayb e those with an interest in Years 11 & 12.

------------------
unless mum and dad are going to take them to language classes outside of school hours I think you are right its not a good way to go.

we treat kids like "one size fits all" and that kind of gets my goat sorry if your a teacher you must get sick to death of the critics but the first years should be all about the 3rs.. they are lost if they go to high school and they havent got the basics.. and thats where they cause trouble they end up hating school because they dont understand anything..how can they learn Chinese if they cant spell in English..

hey I hope you dont mark my spelling bware??..

I bet a lot of Chinese students fail as well. we just dont hear about them

This is all true cods. ... and no I don't take much notice of typos!!

THE THING THAT GETS ME IS THAT THE CHILDREN THAT ARE VERY CAPABLE ARE ABLE TO DO MANY OF THESE EXTRA CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THEIR INTERESTS IN SPORT, MUSIC, ANIMALS TO NAME A FEW CANNOT DO WHAT THEY LOVE BECAUSE THEY ARE TO BUSY STUDING FOR WHAT THE gOVT THINKS IS RIGHT. SURELY A CHILD AND A PARENT CAN HAVE TIME TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS!!

Sorry about the Caps Lock!!

Mod. wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 5:30pm:

Quote: We have our own identity, thanks. Define it.

This may help you if you are a new Australian......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Australia

beware wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 6:37pm:

This is all true cods. ... and no I don't take much notice of typos!! THE THING THAT GETS ME IS THAT THE CHILDREN THAT ARE VERY CAPABLE ARE ABLE TO DO MANY OF THESE EXTRA CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THEIR INTERESTS IN SPORT, MUSIC, ANIMALS TO NAME A FEW CANNOT DO WHAT THEY LOVE BECAUSE THEY ARE TO BUSY STUDING FOR WHAT THE gOVT THINKS IS RIGHT. SURELY A CHILD AND A PARENT CAN HAVE TIME TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS!! Sorry about the Caps Lock!!

you know my years at school a long time ago.. were quite happy when I think about I never didnt want to go.. as a student I was pretty poor , had to pull myslef up by the boot straps as they say after I left school but I didnt not want to go.. todays kids seem to hate it.. a lot of bullying,

and teachers dont have the time to deal with individuals which I believe they need to do more today than ever before.kids look up to their teachers with trust. they expect them to look out for them when their mum and dad are not available.

yet all too often that doesnt happen and I am not pointing the bone at the teachers.. although some I have no doubt, dont have the calling and shouldnt be in the business however for the most part I think too much is expected from teachers these days..I tell you what these bloody excusions and camps and even trips overseas it really stirring me up.. by grandson could have gone to Japan this year thank god he said he didnt want to go.. my sons cant bless himself when it comes to money, and I think his son knew that.. its wrong to do all this type of thing as we are not all in the same class are we.. and its not for schools to make that obvious. well I think they should stick to teaching the 3rs and whatever else and leave the travel out.

cods wrote on Feb 20^th, 2011 at 7:39pm:

beware wrote on Feb 20th, 2011 at 6:37pm: This is all true cods. ... and no I don't take much notice of typos!! THE THING THAT GETS ME IS THAT THE CHILDREN THAT ARE VERY CAPABLE ARE ABLE TO DO MANY OF THESE EXTRA CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES BUT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THEIR INTERESTS IN SPORT, MUSIC, ANIMALS TO NAME A FEW CANNOT DO WHAT THEY LOVE BECAUSE THEY ARE TO BUSY STUDING FOR WHAT THE gOVT THINKS IS RIGHT. SURELY A CHILD AND A PARENT CAN HAVE TIME TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS!! Sorry about the Caps Lock!! you know my years at school a long time ago.. were quite happy when I think about I never didnt want to go.. as a student I was pretty poor , had to pull myslef up by the boot straps as they say after I left school but I didnt not want to go.. todays kids seem to hate it.. a lot of bullying, and teachers dont have the time to deal with individuals which I believe they need to do more today than ever before.kids look up to their teachers with trust. they expect them to look out for them when their mum and dad are not available. yet all too often that doesnt happen and I am not pointing the bone at the teachers.. although some I have no doubt, dont have the calling and shouldnt be in the business however for the most part I think too much is expected from teachers these days..I tell you what these bloody excusions and camps and even trips overseas it really stirring me up.. by grandson could have gone to Japan this year thank god he said he didnt want to go.. my sons cant bless himself when it comes to money, and I think his son knew that.. its wrong to do all this type of thing as we are not all in the same class are we.. and its not for schools to make that obvious. well I think they should stick to teaching the 3rs and whatever else and leave the travel out.

My father left school when he was 12. He grew up in the bush and his family could not afford to let him take a scholarship to live in the nearest town and continue with studies. He had to trap rabbits instead.

he became a shearer back when the unions were a big thing and he would laugh at the sheraers wanting this and that. he said it was rubbish. farmers had to make money he said to employ people.....

He bought his first farm when i was in primary school. He shore  sheep and mum ran the farm, he now owns a lot of land and still works every day........

I was good at school and mum said I had to get an education as being a female I needed some control over my life and men in my live....that must have come from the tough life on the land.

I won a scholarship to become a teacher in NSw. Many of my age did...and we are now about to retire. I think about 12,000 of us.

I have loved teaching. Too much is now expected and there is not enough time to teach it all. Many children need help and many, many need emotional support because there are about 1/2 of every class now that is not a complete family unit.

Teachers are now expected to be all to everyone and as you say some are not suited to the job....but it took me 10 years to learn to control a large group of children so young teachers will need to be helped....

Democracy - the fifth modernization - the land where the great Deng Xiaoping dared not tread.