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PPTA News, February 2010, p. 3
It’s great to bring in the new year with robust debate around key issues such as national standards. Unfortunately, few public debates these days are free from personal attacks, particularly when politicians feel threatened or under pressure. I am proud to lead PPTA and to act as the voice
of teachers, so be assured that this union will continue to speak out regardless of the brickbats, for the betterment of students and the wider education system. PPTA’s motto is “we stand for education” and when it counts, we do.
The cabinet reshuffle shows that the prime minister is clear about trying to find the best people for the work to be done – and in supporting the ministers responsible for education to do the best they can. We are certainly hoping that the new minister responsible for tertiary education, Hon Steven Joyce, will reconsider the short-sighted decisions that have been made in the area of Adult and Community Education (ACE).
This government clearly wants change and its desire to improve outcomes for students is welcome.
Problems arise though when it is unable to distinguish between actions that genuinely improve teaching and learning and initiatives that are no more than political stunts.
The national standards policy is a case in point. It will not enhance learning as we explain in the PPTA News on page 4. The government invests in research and advice on a wealth of issues ranging from truancy, alternative and special education, mental health services, behaviour and family support. So it is intriguing that it is refusing to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence that the national standards approach is educationally unsound.
Similarly, experience with the youth guarantee confirms a tendency upon the part of governments to look for populist quick fixes (boot camps, three strikes …) rather than sustainable change that comes from well-funded, coherent programmes and support.
On the other hand, PPTA welcomes the planned roll-out this year of the evidence-based interventions that make up the behaviour action plan in schools. The plan targets long-term improvements in children’s behaviour.
Although there is little for secondary schools at present, we look forward to the next report from the Advisory Group on Conduct Problems, which will focus on teenagers. Intervention once students reach secondary school is more complex and expensive so we do not want to see the government
backing out when the going gets tough.
News that the economy is set to improve is heartening as 2010 is the year for negotiating the new collective agreements for teachers and principals. We remain hopeful that the government will take this opportunity to invest in our young people and in our future. Secondary education can be a springboard for economic growth and social cohesion.
My view is that the Ministerial Taskforce on Secondary Teacher Remuneration, led by Dame Margaret Bazley and set up in 2003 to develop a ten-year plan for managing change in the sector, still has much to offer. Its vision for the gradual revitalisation of the profession put an end to many years of conflict, cost-cutting and industrial mayhem in the sector.
It would be a tragedy indeed if the government were to return the profession to those times.
 PPTA News archive
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