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Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 41 No. 26. October 2 1978
How Back to Basics Works
How Back to Basics Works
The back to basics movement is not common only to New Zealand. It seems to have originated in the United States, and in fact has reached a high stage of organisation in that country. In Queensland, Australia (where Premier Bjelke-Peterson, the most openly fascist leader in Australasia rules supreme) the movement has virtual control of the education system. Teachers have very little freedom in their choice of materials and their syllabi are subject to tight supervision.
This is an important fact to remember; for given the developing enlightenment of the people working in our education system, attempts to revert to the old style would have to be accomanied by rigid policing, banning of books and effective action against teachers who do not tow the line. Such measures would undoubtedly lead to considerable resistance.
"These groups (back to basics groups) have set up vigilante SIS groups to keep dossiers on teachers who dare to initiate educational change. They operate a private textbook surveillance system and keep biographies of all authors. These groups are organised internationally and receive finance from an American oil company to sponsor tours by lecturers carefully trained to arouse the emotions of parents. The last international movement which initiated the practice of textbook burning was defeated with the assistance of New Zealand and Australian soldiers. I hope we can unite again to defeat a similar group of fanatics".
If you don't believe it, remember that if fascism comes to this country it will need to control the education system, and as in every other field where there have already been signs, its influence will not immediately be the most open-faced.