ABORIGINAL students are singing the US national anthem and learning from worksheets with imperial measurements and American spelling as part of a $7.72 million taxpayer-funded program.
Five teachers have left Aurukun State School since January and a principal and teacher left Coen State School at the end of last year over the controversial model, the teachers’ union claimed.
Teachers are being told to modify American spelling, word usage and imperial measurements on the worksheets, imported from the US, Queensland Teachers’ Union Peninsula organiser Maureen Duffy said.
Education Queensland denies the materials are "American-style", but has sent a representative to the Cape to deal with teachers’ and parents’ anger.
Nearly 30 parents, guardians or carers of students at Coen State School have threatened to withdraw their children from classes unless there is a return to the "mainstream education system".
They have slammed the teaching method, called Direct Instruction, and called for "Noel Pearson’s group" to leave.
About 280 Aboriginal children on Cape York are taking part in the three-year State Government pilot program, which started this year at Coen and Aurukun.
Extended school days and a strong focus on reading, writing, spelling and maths are part of the lauded Class, Culture and Club curriculum, the brainchild of indigenous leader Noel Pearson. But Coen parents are angry about the new system.
Coen’s Seppi Bassani claimed her nieces and nephews were learning the American national anthem.
"I’m not happy. I don’t want them learning the American anthem," she said.
"They should be learning the Australian anthem," she said.
Parent Joanne Nelson said children had difficulty understanding the new worksheets.
"I don’t think it’s a good idea, the American-style teaching," she said.
Ms Duffy said the curriculum materials were purchased from the US and had imperial measurements, Americanised spellings and content including American history.
"Teachers have been advised to modify the curriculum materials where appropriate, (for) example in relation to substituting metric or Celsius for imperial and Fahrenheit," she said.
Ms Duffy said the program’s implementation was rushed and there was insufficient training for teachers.
But Ian Mackie, assistant director-general of indigenous education for Education Queensland, denied the curriculum materials were "American-style".
"The curriculum is Australian," he said.
"The method of teaching is a method developed in the United States."
Mr Mackie said any materials containing American references would be adjusted before they were taught to students.
The principal of Western Cape College, which the schools are part of, travelled to Coen yesterday to address the concerns.
