Well, not quite, but he might as well have:
Barry McGaw, charged with co-ordinating a new national curriculum, said the emphasis should instead be on helping struggling students by appointing more specialist teachers.
The decorated academic and policymaker argued slow learners slipped through the cracks just as easily in smaller classes as they did in bigger ones.
Teachers unions have pushed for reduced class sizes, but I hink it's not the most important thing," he said. "It's a waste of money - you don't get the best bang for your buck." ......
Crikey, we don't need more teachers, imagine that. But the teachers unions don't agree.
Mr McGaw's comments on class sizes have angered Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett. She labelled the remarks as "absurd" and said smaller classes were the best way to improve academic results and retention rates.
Sorry, I'm a complete cynic on this debate, the call for smaller class sizes makes sense if employing teachers is your goal, but less so if you want to increase teacher productivity and general education effectiveness. Mr McGraw has a duty to look at all alternatives not just the ones teachers support. I keep thinking of a comment science fiction author Ben Bova made,: "the best classroom in history was under an olive tree with Aristotle in the middle."
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