I read your recent article on declining respect in our schools with interest (Truth Be Told, ‘The respect deficit in our schools’), and while the observations were accurate, the root cause runs deeper than just a lack of manners.
Our school system isn’t just under strain—it’s failing.
Not because of the students, but because education has become a battleground for political agendas, often pushed by activist-minded teachers more interested in ideology than real teaching.
There are documented cases in Victorian schools where white students have been publicly shamed by teachers framing them as beneficiaries of “white privilege,” without nuance or space for discussion.
One parent I spoke with said their child was told during class that they should feel guilt for historical events they had no part in.
How is that education?
It’s indoctrination—and the kids know it.
Students aren’t disengaged because they’re inherently disrespectful.
They’re disinterested because they’re not being taught to think critically—they’re being told what to think.
They can feel when a lesson is less about knowledge and more about moral instruction disguised as history or civics.
This has left teachers burnt out and unsupported.
Meanwhile, fast-tracked teaching programs are being pushed to plug staffing holes, which only weakens standards further.
More warm bodies in classrooms won’t fix anything if the culture is broken.
If we want respect to return to schools, we must first return to real education.
That means removing the politics from the classroom, restoring consistent discipline, and giving teachers back their authority without fear of backlash for not towing the “right” line.
Until that happens, no amount of well-meaning programs or social initiatives will make a difference.
Ragnarr Rasmusson
Dandenong
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Excellent article by Dr. Jamel Kaur Singh and Dya Singh.
A long time ago my parents taught me to respect everybody.
You were taught never to disrespect your elders and swearing at your teachers was unheard of.
My nephews son was told at school that his parents were not allowed to smack him,argue with him, shout at him.
He was given virtually free rein to do as he pleased.
His father told him they would hand him over to social workers and he would no longer live at home – needless to say he realised he had stepped over the line!
What are parents teaching these days?
Respect is basic in our society, if parents cannot educate their children, if teachers cannot build on this, what is going to happen in our society?
Signs for the future are not good with our state government condoning crime by handing out multiple instances of “bail” .
Is this what we are going to have to look forward to?
Hopefully, although I do not hold out much hope, that respect for all will be an essential lesson in school at all levels.
Elsie Pitt,
Cranbourne South
