Aussie teachers are boycotting a Defence Department “indoctrination’’ program that asks children to design nuclear-powered submarines.
After outrage from teachers across the country, the Australian Education Union (AEU) will meet this week to discuss a national boycott of the science project.
Launched in June by Deputy Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Jonathon Earler, the national STEM challenge asks students from years seven -12 to design a nuclear-powered propulsion system for a submarine.
Winning students from each state and territory will visit HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, tour a Collins-class submarine, dine with officers, and captain a training simulator submarine through Sydney Harbour.
But according to Friends of the Earth nuclear-free co-ordinator Sanne de Swart, this program is a thinly veiled attempt to “normalise nuclear power and indoctrinate children into building instruments of death”.
“It fails to acknowledge Australia’s significant and devastating history with nuclear, including the atomic bomb tests, uranium mining, and the attempts to impose nuclear waste dumps,’’ she said.
While the Defence Department claims its intention is to “inspire students”, the challenge remains a blatant recruitment attempt for the government’s incoming $368 billion AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine project.
Union branches are already refusing to refer students to the program and others like it, calling for the Department of Education to cease all involvement in “brainwashing programs”.
“The government spending of $368bn on AUKUS nuclear submarines will require whole new industries in Australia, and beginning to draw our brightest teenage students into a war industry is outrageous,’’ said one motion.
“A politicised pro-AUKUS curriculum has no place in our schools.’’
Despite the program’s backlash, the Victorian and South Australian education websites continue to promote the challenge to students.
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Classroom warfare
For classroom teacher and former Principal Constantine Pakavakis, this challenge sets a dangerous precedent for classroom learning.
“What is vital is that these inquiries into warfare are conducted by qualified educators using appropriate resources prepared by educational professionals,” he told EducationDaily.
“Truth, perspective, balance and respect for life are vital in such discussions. Values are part of the whole experience of how and what students learn, and empathy and non-violent conflict resolution are central elements of this.
“This “Challenge” is a thinly veiled attempt to normalise militarisation both at school and in the broader community as it is promoted amongst parents and the school community.
“It does not meet the normal standards of enquiry and truth that educational professionals and parents would expect.”
This nuclear challenge is only the latest in a long line of defence and weapons companies trying to infiltrate Australian classrooms, leaving many teachers to fear for the future values of the industry.
Victorian teacher and AEU delegate Hamish McPherson warns schools need to remain wary of the steady increase in curriculum funding from the Defence Department.
“There has been a steady increase in Defence Department funding of curriculum, especially around ANZAC day and other military anniversaries,” he told EducationDaily.
“But this type of blatant military curriculum is quite new and very much a result of Australia’s involvement in the AUKUS alliance.”
Claiming that these programs have “no place in our schools”, McPherson told EducationDaily that educators want to see the Department of Education cease participation in militarised curriculum programs.
“My colleagues met and discussed this at a union branch, and people do not like our schools being misused in this way,” he said.
“We won’t be participating in the nuclear submarine program. The issue is being discussed in branches across the Australian Education Union, including at a leadership level, and we expect a strong position against this will be adopted.”
