Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Do we still need home economics on the NCEA curriculum?

I have to be honest with you, because it's been a little while since I sat in the home economics class in Tuakau College - so there is a fair chance that my experience is a little out of date by about 20 years and I might just make a fool of myself with what I'm about to say next.

But I do not understand the angst about Erica Stanford dropping home economics from the NCEA curriculum.

There is an opinion piece in The Spinoff today, and it's arguing against Erica Stanford removing this 'vital' subject from our school subject list because it's a 'moral decision,' - because, quote, 'everyone deserves to know what's in their food, how it affects their health, and how to make choices that support their overall well-being.'

Now, I tend to agree with that. You should know what's going on in your food. But from what I understand, home ec is still being taught and will still be taught to years 9 and 10 in some form or another, that's not going to change.

And if you cannot learn in the space of 2 years that you need to eat your fruit and your vegetables and your meat and maybe avoid the processed stuff and the sugar, then I don't have much hope that you're ever gonna learn this stuff.

And what's more, we are already one of the most obese nations on this planet. So home economics hasn't done very much for us in helping us to keep ourselves healthy in the last 114 years that it's been around, has it?

But also, and I think this is the most important thing, come on - did you actually learn anything in home ec?

Libby, who works with us, reckons that in one class, she spent the entire class just learning how to make a sandwich.

I remember setting a pot of oil on fire and and then running around with it and being taught how to put the fire out. So I suppose that's semi-helpful, but I also learned how to cut carrots, which, frankly, I should have known anyway.

All of this stuff, you can learn at home.

Now, home economics strikes me as one of those subjects that the country would be better off dropping altogether and replacing with another session on maths.

Don't you agree?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I have to be honest, as you have spent a
little while since I sat in the home economics class
in Turkou College, So there is a fair chance that
my experience is a little out of date by about
twenty years. And I might just make a fool of
myself with what I'm about to say next. But I
do not understand the angst about Erica Stanford dropping home
economics from the NCEEA curriculum. There is an opinion piece
in the spin off today and it's arguing against Erica

(00:22):
Stanford removing this quote vital subject from our school subject
list because it's a quote moral decision, because quote everyone
deserves to know what's in their food, how it affects
their health, and how to make choices that support their
overall well being. Now I tend to agree with that
you should know what's going on in your food. But
from what I understand, home mech is still being taught

(00:44):
and will still be taught to years nine and ten
in some form or another. That's not going to change.
And if you cannot learn in the space of two
years that you need to eat your fruit and your
vegetables and your meat and maybe avoid the process stuff
and the sugar. Then I don't have much hope that
you're ever going to learn this stuff. And what's more,
we are already we are one of the most obese
nations on this planet. So home economics hasn't done very

(01:08):
much for us in helping us to keep ourselves healthy
in the last one hundred and fourteen years that it's
been around, has it. But also, and I think this
is the most important thing. Come on, did you actually
learn anything in homech Libby, who works with us, reckons
that in one class she spent the entire class just
learning how to make a sandwich. I remember setting a
pot of oil on fire and learning how to and

(01:30):
then running around with them being taught how to put
the fire out. So I suppose that's semi helpful. But
also I learned how to cut carrots, which, frankly, you
know I should have known anyway. All of this stuff
you can learn at home. Now, home economics strikes me
as one of those subjects that the country would be
better off dropping all together and replacing with another session
on maths. Don't you agree? For more From Heather Duplessy

(01:51):
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