Time for answers National!
By Hawke-eye
Gordon Campbell’s “What a National Government may entail” (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0806/S00323.htm , http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0806/S00356.htm) is right on the button! Where are the answers to so many questions? I look especially at policy promises around secondary education because that is what I know. I see he asks ” What is the Nats policy on Ops funding?” “Will National allow the private sector to mange and operate NZ state schools?” ” National already supports vouchers for 16 and 17 year olds seeking trades training – will they introduce vounchers beyond that?” “Will the Nats allow school boards a role in setting teachers salaries” All vital questions, given National’s past policies.
Another question needs to be asked of all parties: What additional staffing will their be for secondary schools to enable smaller class sizes and more personlaised learning in programmes for teenage students as they make key choices which will largely determine their success at the next stage of either tertiary learning or work?
I also see over one in five secondary schools has a vacancy they cannot fill – not surprising is it? Rhetoric, repetition of Labour’s Education spending – latest being a “whopping $5 billion since 1999″ obviously hasn’t worked for the secondary sector. Well it wouldn’t would it unless there is major specific targeting of the needs of secondary schools – secondary teachers salaries and staffing! The battles of horrendous paperwork and large classes don’t make for a very satisfying career – I tell you! 2/3rd of Carter’s much touted $1.8 mill spending on teachers salaries in the last year went into the primary sector – and DID NOT NEED TO. Does one in five of the primary schools have vacancy they cannot fill? I don’t think so!
Education and politics | Comments (2)
2 Responses to “Time for answers National!”
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Sounds like we need a party in power that has 20 students maximum as policy AND has a budget that shows how it will pay for it. The Alliance happens to be that party.
And where might the Alliance Party find enough teachers to keep class sizes at 20? The crisis in secondary teaching is going to take a long time to fix. Even if there was a miraculous hike in salaries,more incentives for students to go into teaching, and a reduction in the current workload, just how long would it take to get teacher numbers up to the required amounts.
Today’s article in the Sunday Star Times on overseas teacher stats paints a sorry picture, but does not provide those of us in schools any surprises. Secondary schools are in crisis – unfortunately Mr Carter and the rest of the Labour Party do not see this.