The Australian government’s newly set up “My School” website will supposedly help parents and schools to assess and  improve education standards in Australian schools.

When you find the school you are interested in on the site, it shows you a 200-word statement describing the school in its own words.

An adjacent panel  displays basic details about the school — whether  government, Catholic or “independent”, its enrolment, staff numbers, attendance  rates etc.

Also information about the school’s “socio-economic profile”, based on 16 variables alleged to influence educational outcomes, e.g. parental educational, income and employment levels, the proportion not speaking English well etc.

Then come the pretty graphs and magic numbers which “rank” the school in comparison with others.

This stuff is all pretty subjective and will stir up discontent — radiating much heat, but minimal and untrustworthy, amounts of  light.

* * *

Despite threats of teacher strikes and boycotting of tests, the site was launched yesterday.

It all makes you wonder about democracy.

Is everything our rulers do geared to manipulating us into voting for them — using, in this case, our children and their education as mere pawns in their game?

 How can we change things?

This is a job for the Church, one might say.

But of course they have got the Church over a barrel, because the Church runs schools which are dependent on  government funding, and which also need favourable  reports on this website, in order to prosper.

* * *

This blog repeatedly says that our goal must be to get government out of education — as was practised by Mother Mary MacKillop.

We are so far from achieving that, that it is hard to know where to start.

Or is it?

Are you willing to home-school your children? Why not? Lots of others do. Many of them do a great job – and are only too willing to help out with advice etc.

* * *

There are many more questions to ask about education in Australia today than those mentioned above.

More about that tomorrow.