3. Hon BILL ENGLISH (National—Clutha-Southland) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does he stand by his statement: “Every student deserves the best from their time in school. We need the whole system to focus on this and making a difference for students.”?
Is the Minister aware of the statement in the Education Review Office annual report saying that of the schools the office has reviewed this year, 29 percent have “no useful information about the achievement or progress of their students”; if he is aware of that, what action does he intend to take?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
The Minister is aware of that—that the Education Review Office found that 30 percent of schools did not have useful information about progress, as that member said. Research tells us that it is important to have good assessment information. The Government invested $8 million last year in developing good assessment tools for schools, and in providing professional development for teachers. These results are the Education Review Office’s early findings; the full report will be released next year.
Moana MackeyHon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
Lots! Since 1999 the Labour-led Government has increased education funding by more than one-third, doubled funding for early childhood education, increased teacher numbers by 3,000 above roll growth, and focused on the quality of learning, so that every student has a chance to reach his or her potential.
Judy TurnerIs the Minister happy with the current National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) internal assessment rules, which see students missing out on NCEA credits because their schools do not allow second chances to resubmit improved work for credits failed, while other schools actively encourage this practice; if he is not, will the Minister finally instruct all schools to offer this opportunity to students?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
NCEA sets clear standards, and recognises excellence. The Government is committed to continued refinement of the NCEA changes for 2006, which include making the record of learning and results notice clearer to understand, having internal results available online earlier, and no longer recording the grade-point average. Those who promulgated NCEA have done a great job up till now.
Is the Minister at all concerned that after 7 years of Labour being in Government, a 35 percent increase in education expenditure, and 3,000 new teachers, the reality for parents is that their child has a one-in-three chance of being at a school that does not know the achievement of their child, and does not know what progress that child is making?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
As I said earlier on, we are refining that, and building on it. When that member was in Government, nothing was done. He left a pack of rubbish, where kids had no chance, and where people who had been educated were left on the scrapheap. We have done something about it.
Does the Minister intend to spend some of his multimillion-dollar publicity budget—which he generally spends promoting himself—telling parents that despite 3,200 new teachers and a $1 billion increase in the schools budget, there is now a one-in-three chance that any New Zealand child is at a school that does not know what that child can achieve and that cannot measure his or her progress?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
That is not true. New Zealand is transforming into a knowledge society, which means that our education sector needs to do that. But I can tell the member how good this Minister of Education has been. Rarely did Māori in the seventh form go to university, 3 or 4 years ago. At Turakina there are 22 seventh-formers in total who are all going to university this year. Two of them are going to teachers’ training colleges, and two of them are going into the Navy. That is outstanding success, and it mirrors what is happening in the education forum. A lot of good things are happening.
Does the Minister intend to communicate with those 29 percent of schools that do not follow the sound educational practice that has been adopted in the other 71 percent of schools, or do he and union leaders and bureaucrats intend to sit around in the Beehive holding hands with their complacent consensus, while one-third of New Zealand children attend schools that do not know what is going on with those children?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
There is nothing hollow about this Government’s role in relation to education. We are very, very clear that the bureaucrats—the public servants—work very hard, along with the boards, along with these Ministers especially, to ensure that children have a better chance in school. The results speak for themselves. Read them!
Can I take it from the Minister’s responses to the questions today that in light of the Education Review Office finding that 29 percent of schools reviewed this year have no useful information about their children’s achievement and progress, he plans to do precisely nothing about this scandalous problem?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
In answer to the first part—no. If that member has not listened to them, I want him to listen to this. We base our progress on good information, like the example of the Clutha Valley School, which was raised last time. The Minister of Education had done plenty, but that member came in and made out he had done nothing. Now that the summary is done, and only one little thing has not been done, that member tries to make out it was in collapse—like the Education Forum. It is a lot of rubbish.
Can I take it from the Minister’s answer to that question that he regards the fact that one in three children in New Zealand attend a school that does not know what those children are achieving, as another “little thing” that is not done; and how would he explain that to the tens of thousands of people who are voters, taxpayers, and parents of children who attend schools that do not know what those children are learning?
Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA Link to this
I am not sure where that member has been in the last few years; because he knows that the education system is performing very, very well. What we need in the 21st century is not the archaic policies that he left behind, but certainly that our people are skilled, have the knowledge for the contemporary time, and that we take this education programme forward together—not be destructive like that member.