Nearly a thousand South Australian year 10 students will learn about the importance of democracy in an increasingly polarized world, as they take part in a national-first civics and citizenship convention at Adelaide Oval.

The three-day immersive event is part of the State Government’s reform plan to focus on safeguarding the future of democracy through the education of children and young people.

The convention, to be held annually, is part of an $18.4 million commitment to reform the way civics and citizenship is taught in schools.

Students heard from the Governor, Premier and Opposition Leader at the convention, with the Electoral Commission of South Australia assisting with a mock ballot.

The convention is an opportunity for students to take part in discussions, workshops, and media panels driving conversations about the value of civics and democracy and issues of importance to them.

This nation-leading plan to boost the education of young people about the vital role of civics and citizenship is supported by significant curriculum reform, including:

• All years 7 and 8 public school students will study civics and citizenship for an hour per week.
• Every year 9 and 10 subject will have civics and citizenship incorporated into it as part of the introduction of a Cross-Curriculum Priority.
• South Australia will become the first state or territory to have a specialised civics teacher in every public high school and B-12 school, with training and professional development for teachers already underway.

Civics is currently delivered through Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) as a compulsory aspect of learning between years 3 to 8. However, the quality of this delivery is mixed due to a lack of specialist teachers.

There has been a 15% decline in students studying Year 12 Politics, Power and People between 2021 and 2023 – highlighting the need for urgent reform.

Read more about the Active Citizenship Convention.