Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard announced yesterday the New York City Department of Education Chancellor, Joel Klein, would visit Australia next month to share his experiences.

Ms Gillard also said she believed school students should learn about the Holocaust.

''The Holocaust is such a significant event which tells us so much, I think, about what it is to be human, what can happen in societies, the evil that can happen in societies.

''[But] writing the curriculum at the end of the day isn't a job for politicians, it's a job for educational experts.''

Of Mr Klein, she said, ''He's pioneered a system of school transparency which lets you compare like schools with like schools, the sorts of schools that are servicing the same student populations, and to monitor what's working and to make sure that best practice is spread, and schools that are struggling get extra assistance.''

Mr Klein whose visit is sponsored by financial firm UBS inspired part of the Federal Government's ''education revolution''. Ms Gillard rejected suggestions that Mr Klein was coming to Australia to help the Commonwealth persuade states, territories and education unions to accept the plan.

''I believe convincing education ministers and teachers generally, this is the right approach in this country, is my job,'' Ms Gillard said. ''And what we've said very clearly ... is we are committed to a new era of school transparency in this country.'' The measures would be delivered by the end of the year.

Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne said the Prime Minister should appoint a ''full-time education minister''.

''Ms Gillard has too much on her plate ...''

Mr Pyne said the Government's plan for a ''back-to-basics'' curriculum had been hijacked by ideologues.

''Parents of Australian children would be shocked to learn that Professor Peter Freebody who is drafting the English curriculum believes that literacy education is not about skill development, not about deep competence, but about institutional shaping of social practises and cultural resources.

''Parents would be astonished to know that a former member of the Communist Party, Professor Stuart Macintyre, in addition to having written a history of the Communist Party, is now also drafting the national history curriculum.''