5. Hon MARIAN HOBBS (Labour—Wellington Central) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What is the Government doing to set the direction for teaching, learning, and assessment for our 21st century education system?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Education) Link to this
Today the Prime Minister and I launched the new New Zealand curriculum for New Zealand schools, accompanied by the member and Steve Maharey, who, as former Ministers of Education, have shepherded its development since 2002. The new curriculum is designed to support students to develop the values, competencies, and knowledge to achieve their full potential in the 21st century. I thank the 15,000 New Zealanders who have been involved in the development of the new curriculum, which will be mandatory for all State schools and State integrated schools from 2010.
Has the Minister seen any reports on alternative approaches to supporting our 21st century education system?
Indeed I have. I have seen two reports in the last week advocating conflicting approaches to education policy. One report pledges a solid commitment to the reintroduction of bulk funding of teachers’ salaries, and the other states that bulk funding is “not currently in our thinking”. Amazingly, both these statements were made by National’s education spokespeople, Allan Peachey and Katherine Rich, last week. Someone should give Mr Peachey another copy of The Hollow Men, because he appears to have missed the caucus strategy on how to hide the party’s true agenda of privatisation, cuts, and old, failed policies like bulk funding.
Allan PeacheyI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I was the principal of a bulk-funded school for a long period of time, and I take personal exception to the comments the Minister just made about the policy. I ask that he apologise and withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
What support is the Government providing to teachers, schools, school communities, and the broader system, to ensure that the new curriculum is successfully implemented?
Schools will be supported to implement the new New Zealand curriculum over the 3-year period to 2010. This support includes workshops, resource packs, learning communities, school-based professional learning, and a national programme of research. National Certificate of Educational Achievement standards will be reviewed and aligned with the new curriculum by 2010. This morning I also announced that all schools can have a teachers-only day within the next year to enable teachers to discuss the implementation of the new curriculum, and that is welcome news, I am sure, to teachers and pupils.
Katherine RichWhat specifically tagged funding will the Minister offer schools to implement the new curriculum, because launching it today was easy but implementing it across schools is the challenge, and all that he has offered today are a bunch of workshops, a website, and a teachers-only day?
I can assure the member that, given the track record of this Government, which has increased education spending from $5.7 billion in 1999 to $9.6 billion today, schools will be adequately resourced. I am delighted that we have had confirmation in the House today that the National Party is considering bringing back bulk funding.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Can the Minister confirm that negotiation with the Green Party under our cooperation agreement and numerous well-argued submissions from environmental education leaders and members of the community have led to increased emphasis on sustainability and the Treaty of Waitangi in the new curriculum, to be funded by the $13 million for environmental education that was secured by the Greens in the 2006 Budget?
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. That surely cannot be the preliminary to a question—a diatribe about what the party has not done or would like to do, before we even get to the question. Most of us are pulled up within the first seven or eight words of a sentence and asked to concentrate on the question; we are not allowed to read out the supposed track record—doubtful as it is. Surely you should have called the member to order.
I thank the member. It is a useful reminder to members that it is question time, not statement time. But the party of the member who raised the point of order indulges in that practice quite regularly. A certain tolerance has been given.
Rt Hon Winston Peters Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. With respect—and I have been here a bit longer than you have—if that was the case, you were bound to say so. Better still, somebody else in this Parliament should have said so, but members did not.
I thank the member. If all the rules were applied rigidly, we would not be able to do anything in this Chamber, because nobody seems to apply them. A little bit of tolerance and flexibility has to be given from time to time. It has been exercised in this way.
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I point out that my question began with a question word: “Can the Minister confirm …”. Should I read the question again, Madam Speaker?
Jeanette Fitzsimons Link to this
Can the Minister confirm that negotiation with the Green Party under our cooperation agreement and numerous well-argued submissions from environmental education leaders and members of the community have led to increased emphasis on sustainability and the Treaty of Waitangi in the new curriculum, to be funded by the $13 million that was secured by the Greens in the 2006 Budget?
Yes. I am aware that Metiria Turei from the Green Party worked closely with my predecessor Steve Maharey on improving the draft curriculum. I thank her and the Green Party for the contribution. It has resulted in a better curriculum, which can only benefit students.
I seek leave from the House to table a copy of The New Zealand Curriculum.