Students’ Knowledge of Democracy Hits Record Low, as Interest in Social Justice Grows: Curriculum Body

A high school student looks at her phone while waiting to be picked up in Albany, Western Australia, on Oct. 17, 2023. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

The number of Australian students who understand how the country’s democracy works has plunged to its lowest recorded level.

Instead, students are being heavily influenced by social media content and are more concerned about global issues, as well as social justice causes like climate change.

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released the latest results (pdf) of the National Assessment Program in Civics and Citizenship (NAP–CC) for Year 6 and 10 students, painting a bleak picture of the effectiveness of Australia’s civics education.

According to the ACARA report, less than 3 in 10 (28 percent) of Year 10 students achieved the proficient standard, down from 38 percent in 2019 and 2016.

The results were higher in Year 6 students, with 43 percent meeting the proficiency standard.

However, this was still below the previous levels of 53 percent and 55 percent recorded in 2019 and 2016, respectively.

Among the jurisdictions, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest performance, with 37 percent of Year 10 students, and 58 percent of Year 6 students attaining proficiency.

In contrast, the Northern Territory ranked at the bottom, with 18 percent of Year 10 students and 27 percent of Year 6 students meeting the standard.

Students were tested on a wide range of topics, including Australia’s political and legal systems, the federal system of government, liberal democratic values, and the nature of citizenship.

A group of people use their smartphones at Dixon Park in Newcastle, Australia on Dec. 1, 2024. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

The test revealed that the majority of the students struggled with basic questions such as who must sign a bill before it becomes law in Australia—the governor-general.

The report also found Year 6 students did have higher levels of participation in school-based civics and citizenship activities than Year 10 students.

Previously, at a 2024 parliamentary inquiry hearing, Julie Birmingham, the first assistant secretary at the Department of Education, said the NAP–CC results did not reflect the full picture of student’s civics proficiency.

She explained that the assessment was conducted on a sample of students and that there were limitations on how much the department could interpret from the test outcomes.

Students More Interested in Social Issues and Climate Change

Meanwhile, year 10 students reported they were more willing to collect money for charity or social causes and participate in voluntary groups than participating in civic activities.

It is worth noting that students of both grades expressed concerns about issues such as pollution, climate change, crime and racism.

They were also more interested in global issues compared to those occurring within Australia.

In addition, the report also saw a notable drop in the proportion of students using traditional media as more students switched to the internet, including social media, to obtain news about current events.

Despite this, students, especially those in Year 6, showed considerably less trust in the media or social media compared to civic institutions.

School students hold up placards during a climate change rally in Melbourne, Australia, on Nov. 17, 2023. William West/AFP via Getty Images

More Support Needed: ACARA CEO

Following the report’s release, ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel said more support, including high-quality training and resources, were needed to be provide educators with the assistance to deliver better civics and citizenship education.

“Civics and citizenship have always been a key part of the Australian curriculum,” he said.

“It is vital that all young Australians get a strong grounding with civics education to feel engaged with social and political issues so that they can make a valuable contribution as society’s future stewards.”

Government’s Response

Education Minister Jason Clare stated that the government had made improvements to civics programs across the country.

“This is why I’ve boosted funding for school students to get out of the classroom and visit Parliament House and the War Memorial to understand what generations of Australians have fought and died for,” he said.

“That’s what the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate Program does. It allows school students to visit the War Memorial, Parliament House and Old Parliament House in Canberra.”

However, this was criticised by Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson.

“The Education Minister Jason Clare can’t simply say he wants more students to visit Canberra,” she said.

Henderson also pointed out that Australia needed a curriculum that prioritised literacy and numeracy, as well as providing deeper knowledge of civics and citizenship.

Earlier in the day, Henderson criticised the state of primary and high school curriculums, notably the emphasis on weaving “sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and Australia’s engagement with Asia” into teaching lessons.

“Year 10 maths teachers are encouraged to apply Pythagoras’s theorem by exploring ‘navigation, design of technologies or surveying by First Nations Australians, investigating geometric and spatial reasoning, and how these connect in trigonometry,’” she said.