A recent Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEF) survey shows worrying levels of basic knowledge about agriculture and indicates that student and teacher knowledge related to food and fibre production has declined to worrying levels.
The groundbreaking survey, undertaken by the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) with the support of Woolworths, reveals that 75 per cent of students thought cotton socks were an animal product and 45 per cent of students could not identify that everyday lunchbox items such as a banana, bread and cheese originated from farms.
“This survey is a wake-up call to government, industry and educators and comes at a time when the Primary Industries are being excluded from the national curriculum,” PIEF Chair, Cameron Archer said.
“The survey results are clear in demonstrating that this approach is not working. Our young students do not have enough of a basic understanding of where their food, clothing and building materials come from.”
For further information on this survey, please click here
