PPTA

  • Full Screen
  • Wide Screen
  • Narrow Screen
  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
YOU ARE HERE PPTA Blog > Tags > student achievement

The Pigeonhole

Welcome to the blog of the New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA), .... A blog that's not afraid to ruffle some feathers

For blog guidelines, click here

Tags >> student achievement

John Banks "World Class Business Opportunity" got a step closer last week,  with the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill  - the legislation that sets up charter (aka partnership) schools.

Turn the captions on if you watch his speech - in fact the captions are probably a pretty close match to our Associate Minister of Education, John Banks, understanding of the education environment in New Zealand.  Although I do suspect the devil might have turned some of his words into "america" and "cash".

John Banks Education Amdt Bill Speech in the House

John says that charter school 'teachers' will have to be "trained and qualified in their field".

But teaching doesn't seem to be one of the "fields" he is referring to.

"Unregistered does not mean untrained" said John Banks.

He goes on that in "certain limited circumstances"  these 'teachers' may be "teachers who are not registered with the teachers' union". (Now you know why there is a review of the Teachers Council. John Banks, can't recall who does what (or why) in education.)


Will this happen in NZ?

Could New Zealand schools be forced to face a similar situation to this UK school?

Could NZ schools be forced out of community and parent control to become part of an overseas owned charter school franchise?


Hekia Parata New Zealand Minister of Education drew attention to her reply to Metiria Turei's (Green party co-leader) question in the house yesterday, via a tweet this morning.

 


Dear Ms Longstone,

Some of us who have been involved in educating students for many decades in NZ cannot understand the recent attack on NZ's education system.

It is obvious you have been appointed by some who feel that you can make some progress in bringing NZers to heel as this government is not prepared to spend money on education.

The comments by Education Ministry CEO Lesley Longstone that the NZ education system is not world class were not made in a vacuum.

The comments come in the wake of imposed policies on (a) national standards (b) charter schools and (c) the abortive attempt to increase class sizes – all of which run counter to the equity outcomes that Longstone now professes to be dead keen on promoting.

I think we can add the attack on struggling Christchurch schools to this list.

Unlike England, many members of this government and perhaps some of your advisers, NZers have a long history of egalitarianism.

To attack the fact that you say education is not equitable for all in NZ, when our education has unfailingly demonstrated its robustness even under the extreme attacks from governments is folly on your part. No-one believes you for a moment.

Just as in England, public school educated people feel that their education system is the best ever, so do most kiwis.


Ben Levin writes - "..... most countries with high performing school systems work hard to create a high degree of consensus and positive energy around schooling rather than an atmosphere of crisis, incompetence, and blame."

Link to External website Learning From Abroad: Rapid Improvement Is Possible, Even in a System Like Ours

We wish.


  • «
  •  Start 
  •  Prev 
  •  1 
  •  2 
  •  3 
  •  Next 
  •  End 
  • »