6. ANNE TOLLEY (National—East Coast) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Does he stand by his statement that “Schools Plus articulates the goal of every young person being in education, skills development, or structured learning, relevant to their needs and abilities, until the age of 18.”; if so, how many young people are currently not engaged in education, skills development, or structured learning?
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Education) Link to this
Yes; although New Zealand students are performing among the best in the world, the 2006 census revealed that 9,300 15 to 17-year-olds were not currently engaged in education, training, or employment. We estimate that another 20,000 are in very low-skill jobs. It is exactly those sorts of students that Schools Plus aims to keep in education or training.
Can the Minister confirm that in 2002 his Government promised that by the end of 2007 every 15 to 19-year-old would be in work, education, or training, so the fact that we are talking about almost 30,000 young people not being in work, education, or training, as the Minister has just outlined, means that Labour has failed to achieve the goal it announced in 2002?
The member never listens to the answer. She asked me about students who were in training or education, and she has now included employment. Actually, 6,000 young New Zealanders were unemployed in 2002; today only 250 are, which is a 96 percent reduction, as we promised the Mayors Task Force for Jobs. We are talking about students and young people who are in very low-skill jobs. We want to lift up their skills. We are proud of our employment record. We also want to make sure that every young New Zealander lifts up their skills.
Hon Mark BurtonLast week at Massey High School the Prime Minister and I announced $39.7 million for the initial roll-out in 2009 of Schools Plus . This will include about $11.5 million towards improved careers guidance for schools; another $21 million towards an expanded Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource course, which is an already successful programme; 100 new schools next year joining the Youth Apprenticeships scheme; more funding for pre-employment training; and a tertiary-secondary opportunity at the Manukau Institute of Technology. I contrast that with National’s plan—boot camps for bad kids.
When the Government set itself a goal in 2002, and the Minister today has admitted that it failed to achieve that goal for at least 10,000 17-year-olds, why is Labour now reheating that same goal of having all young people in education and training, and now asking the New Zealand public to wait until 2014 to get what Labour promised it would have done by 2007?
The member criticises our Government for reducing the number of young unemployed people from 6,000 to 250, a 96 percent reduction. Somehow, she says, that is not good enough. Well, I say to Mrs Tolley that boot camps will not work.
If he were a schoolteacher, what would the Minister of Education say to a student who asked to have 5 years to achieve a task but failed miserably to do so, and who then came back 6 years later to ask for a 6-year extension; and does the Minister think the New Zealand public are foolish enough to listen to a Government that broke its 2002 promise, and is now shamelessly reheating that same promise and asking them to wait for another 6 years to get any results?
For many years, I was a schoolteacher, and I would tell that student that I am very proud now to be the Minister of Education in a Government that has put an extra $5.5 billion into education, and that has come up with a revolutionary scheme like Schools Plus, brought in 20 hours’ free early childhood education, built 1,500 classrooms and 42 new schools, and increased teachers’ salaries by 38 percent. That student would be very impressed with that real achievement.
Judy TurnerDoes the Minister agree that the Schools Plus policy will deliver very little to students if the New Zealand Qualifications Authority continues to refuse to receive achievement marks for students whose parents have failed to pay the New Zealand Qualifications Authority fee; and will he move to correct this so that students’ results are not lost due to the inability or unwillingness of parents to pay?
One of the most important things about Schools Plus is that it is a collaborative approach involving schools, the community, trade unions, business, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, the New Zealand Teachers Council, the teachers’ unions, and so on, so that we can get all of the ducks lined up to make sure it works properly. That is why it is being resourced by $40 million next year, and why it has a very long period of consultation—we want it to work. Yes, we will have to work closely with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and with every other stakeholder in education.
Does the Minister agree that it would be preferable for the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to at least collect and hold all student achievement data—even if it will not then provide written evidence to school leavers if fees are not paid—to avoid the risk that currently exists of students losing their marks altogether; if he does agree, will he move to fix this so that Schools Plus qualification gains are not lost?
I, like every other Minister in the Labour Government, am determined to make Schools Plus work, so that we can get the outcome we want, which is better skills and better training for all young New Zealanders. So, yes, I will be working closely with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to make sure we have the most robust and best possible systems in place to make Schools Plus work for our kids.
Why is the Ministry of Education paying for 120 principals to fly to Wellington at short notice for a briefing on Schools Plus—that is, why is his Government using tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money, 7 weeks out from an election, to fly in principals for a briefing to publicise Labour Party election policy; and is that not a breach of the Electoral Finance Act?
I am really delighted to hear, as no doubt every principal in New Zealand will be, that the Ministry of Education is assisting those schools. Usually I hear the opposite complaint—that we do not give schools enough support. I am glad the principals are coming to Wellington, because we want Schools Plus to work.
Can we sum up the situation in this way, then: in 2002, the Labour Government promised to have all of our young people in education, training, or work by the end of 2007, and it failed; now, a year later, it is reheating that same goal, giving itself another 6-year extension, and, to top it all off, it is using tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to fly principals in, to brief them on Labour Party election campaign policy?
I can sum up for the member in just a few words: in 2006, 6,000 unemployed youngsters; today, 250. Yes, I tell Mrs Tolley that our programmes are working.
I seek leave to table the letter from the Ministry of Education to principals, inviting them, at the ministry’s expense—
Madam SPEAKER