Alan Tudge Education Minister, says children are being taught ‘woke ideas’

Federal Education Minister, Alan Tudge, has made contentious claims about the next generation, saying that he is worried children are being taught “woke ideas” in the classroom.

While attending the Centre for Independent Studies, Tudge made a speech in which he suggested that the proposed school curriculum is too “woke”. Tudge says the concept that ANZAC Day and defending Australia in times of war are listed as “contested ideas” in the draft curriculum, released in April 2021.

Tudge, who is the Minister in charge of all educational policy in Australia, expressed concern that the curriculum teaches children to focus on the negative elements of Australia’s history and to ultimately take their “free, liberal democracy” for granted.

The main concerns Tudge had with the draft curriculum included Year 9 students being taught about “the commemoration of World War I, including different historical interpretations and contested debates about the nature and significance of the Anzac legend and the war”.

Additionally, Tudge discussed the importance of learning Indigenous history and culture, however, said “it should not come at the expense of the teaching of classical and western civilisations and how Australia came to be a free, liberal democracy”.

Despite Australian schooling being primarily secular, and the basis of the curriculum being the way in which modern society came to be, Tudge says that the new curriculum document which is being drafted “weakened Christianity”.

“We live in one of the most prosperous egalitarian societies in the world and children should develop an understanding of how this came about,” Tudge said.

“If we diminish this understanding, we are less likely to protect and defend it.”

“Ultimately, students should leave school with a love of country and a sense of optimism and hope that we live in the greatest country on earth and that the future is bright,” he said.

The internet has reacted in a big way to Tudge’s comments, with one Twitter user saying:

So Alan Tudge thinks schools should be about preparing kids to go to war? If could use FFS on here I would right now.

— Ged Kearney (@gedkearney) October 21, 2021