New South Wales’ peak arts education bodies have called on the state government to halt the rollout of new HSC Drama and Music syllabuses, warning that the reforms remain “deeply flawed” and risk further eroding teacher confidence in the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

In an open letter sent on Friday 28 November to Acting Minister for Education Courtney Houssos and NESA chief executive Paul Martin, representatives from Drama NSW, Drama Australia, the Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) NSW and National, and the National Advocates for Arts Education demanded a second round of public consultation before the syllabuses are finalised.

The organisations say significant concerns raised by teachers over the past year – including detailed submissions to the NSW Government, NESA and the 2024 NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Music and Arts Education – have not been addressed.

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They argue the curriculum development process has lacked transparency, claiming that professional associations and teachers have been sidelined. The groups say the anticipated late-Term Four release of final syllabuses would force educators to redesign programs over the summer break, adding pressure to an already stretched workforce.

In the open letter, the associations...