‘1984’ and ‘Great Expectations’ Taken out of NSW High School Texts

The NSW Education Standards Authority said the temporary removal of Orwell or Dickens comes with the addition of new authors.

A copy of George Orwell's “1984” at a bookstore in a file photo. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” have been removed from the high school English curriculum in New South Wales (NSW).

A list of texts for the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in 2027 and 2028, seen by The Epoch Times, does not include these historical texts. However, they were on the list for 2019 to 2025, and extended to 2026.

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” explores the themes of totalitarianism, surveillance, and individuality. The story is set in a grim, oppressive future where the party, led by the figurehead Big Brother, exerts complete control over every aspect of life in the superstate of Oceania.

Published in 1949, it warned about the dangers of unchecked government power, the loss of personal freedoms, and the erosion of truth in society.

“Great Expectations” follows childhood and adult years of Pip, a blacksmith’s apprentice who inherits a large fortune, but not from the source he believed.

The novel, written between 1860 and 1861, explores the British Victorian class system and illustrates how societal status and wealth shape identity.

The NSW Education Standards Authority told The Epoch Times that the temporary removal of Orwell or Dickens comes with the addition of Richard Flanagan, Louise Gluck, Anne Bronte, and Barbara Baynton.

The texts were selected based on literary merit, diversity and choice, appropriateness, accessibility, availability and affordability.

A spokesman for the NSW Education Standards Authority said a wide consultation process had taken place and popular texts had been set aside temporarily for possible return in future lists.

“The new list of texts is the result of a rigorous consultation process involving experienced teachers from each school sector, who provided advice on the suitability of texts and their implementation in schools,” the spokesman said in a statement provided to The Epoch Times.

“As a part of the renewal process for text prescriptions, many great texts are rested in order to make way for fresh options. It is common for popular texts, including classics and contemporary texts, to be rested and returned to in later lists.”

The authority said HSC students would continue to study a broad range of literature.

This includes titles from prose fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction, film, and media aligned to the text requirements in the English syllabuses.

Further, the authority noted the selection process ensured all texts provided opportunities for teaching, learning, and assessment of the syllabus.

The Epoch Times contacted the English Teachers Association of NSW for comment.