By Katrina Davey
If you asked educators across Australia what the world needs most right now, few would answer “better NAPLAN scores” or “more explicit instruction.” What educators, young people and society in general are all seeking right now is a greater sense of humanity. Yet where do the Humanities sit in our national education priorities?
The past decade has been dominated by literacy and numeracy headlines and a push towards STEM as the key to Australia’s future. In the process, the Humanities have slipped into the shadows — from national policy to school leadership decisions. And now, this long‑term oversight might be coming back to bite.
Social discord and activism have risen dramatically in Australia with 2025 marked by weekly protests drawing large crowds. As government leaders grapple with rising division and a weakening sense of national identity among young adults, Humanities educators are unsurprised. They have watched their subject repeatedly sidelined and undervalued despite being the learning area that teaches empathy, ethics, identity, global awareness and civic responsibility.
As Sir Robert Menzies outlined in 1945 “the study of humanities in the schools and universities can at least develop a sense of proportion… the first function of education is to produce… a good citizen.” The Humanities remain central to that mission.
Since the launch of the Australian Curriculum, Humanities and Social Sciences has faced significant structural challenges. Its content has increased dramatically, transforming it into an umbrella for History, Geography, Civics & Citizenship, and Economics & Business. Yet the time allocated to teach all these disciplines has barely changed. Therefore, the implementation of all four areas is haphazard, with some topics omitted by schools or taught on a bi-annual basis, or squeezed in at the end of a school year when brevity outcompetes depth.
Furthermore, except History, all other disciplines are shifted into the elective basket for Years 9 and 10. And this is the calamity that I believe has led to our current social climate. At the very age when adolescents are most impressionable, most influenced by social media, most inclined to take risks and least connected to other generations, Humanities becomes optional. No longer viewed as important as English, Maths or Science.
Think how this instantly shapes a student’s perspective towards the Humanities. When schools make the Humanities a series of electives, it implies key life lessons and skills are no longer necessary. As a teacher of adolescents, I have always felt that studying human empathy, ethics, integrity and responsibility is most heavily needed in Year 10. This is the year when identity, character and reasoning patterns become embedded. In Upper Secondary, Humanities can students broaden their worldliness and understanding of current affairs, analyse historical events through an ethical lense, develop their systems-thinking to appreciate the complexities of an interconnected world, and explore case studies highlighting the strength of Australia’s democracy and justice system.
The sting is sharper still at tertiary level, where Humanities degrees have also been politically devalued — a concern raised by outgoing UNSW Chancellor David Gonski, who urged universities to encourage, not deter, Humanities study.
The consequences of sidelining the Humanities are now visible in national data. Civics education is flailing with only 28% of Year 10 students reaching the proficient standard in the latest national civics assessment; the lowest result in two decades. Considering this, it should not surprise us that youth crime is rising. Many young people have never been taught why our legal system is worth respecting and this ignorance negatively impacts society. Democratic confidence is fragile, and without the Humanities, students remain oblivious to what democracy actually protects in this country.
The lack of Economics and Geography taught in the Upper Secondary years is also detrimental for an adolescent’s future readiness. Recent calls to embed financial literacy in early primary Mathematics again elevated Maths on the national agenda but failed to consider the role of Economics in teaching vital financial literacy skills. What about the necessity of understanding the economic aspects of an adult’s working life. Interest rates, superannuation, taxation, inflation, and employment are all daily financial realities. Yet these crucial topics are taught in Year 9 and 10 when Economics is only optional.
Meanwhile, Geography provides an essential understanding of global issues, resource depletion, climate change, environmental systems and the human cooperation required for a sustainable future. These are not niche topics; they are foundational to becoming a responsible global citizen.
The Humanities umbrella when taught in its entirety helps students understand the flow‑on effects of actions and decisions made across the world. Just think about the holistic understanding of Civics, Economics, Geography and History that students would need to understand the current events of 2026. As global democratic norms come under pressure and long-term tensions in the Middle East erupt into conflict, we are seeing our dependency on unsustainable resources like oil exacerbated causing inflation to rise further. To understand this complex web of events and its impact on our daily lives requires a sophisticated understanding of the Humanities.
Behind these structural challenges also lies a workforce reality: confident, multidisciplinary Humanities educators are rare. School leadership teams often reassign trained Humanities teachers to teach English, Maths and Science to prioritise NAPLAN outcomes. And therefore many other teachers are thrust into the subject out‑of‑field, anxious and underprepared. It is yet another reflection of a system that has not invested in the Humanities with the seriousness it deserves.
A Call to Re‑Humanise the national education agenda
This is why I wrote Humming Along: Achieving Excellence in Teaching Primary and Secondary Humanities. The book is a rallying cry for educators who believe the heart of schooling lies in helping young people navigate complexity with compassion and a sense of wonder.
Humming Along offers practical, research‑informed strategies to help Humanities teams “hum”. From curriculum design and authentic assessment to brand identity, wellbeing‑aware leadership and cross‑disciplinary collaboration. It is written with deep empathy for teachers juggling multiple disciplines and striving to deliver meaningful learning in a crowded curriculum.
Its early uptake among tertiary lecturers and preservice teachers signals a growing recognition that the Humanities matter — and that teachers need support to teach them well.
A strong Humanities education delivered by a passionate teacher is the antidote to division and the foundation of social cohesion. It is how we build ethical thinkers, informed citizens and globally aware young people who can navigate a future of uncertainty, whether it be rapid technological advancements, climate change or geopolitical conflicts.
Humanities as a subject holds a responsibility just as important as Maths, English or STEM. We are teaching the subject that ensures our future is humane. We are teaching for the sake of humanity.
And it is time Australia recognised that.
Katrina Davey is the author of Humming Along: Achieving Excellence in Teaching Primary and Secondary Humanities. Her book is available now through Amba Press. Katrina is a nationally award-winning educator and curriculum writer with two decades of experience transforming Humanities departments across Australia. Through her consultancy work, Katrina helps schools establish engaging Humanities programs and develops transdisciplinary incursions that bring authentic learning challenges to the classroom. A passionate advocate for the teaching profession she strongly supports Humanities teaching associations and believes wholeheartedly in empowering educators to elevate the status of Humanities education.