3. JO GOODHEW (National—Rangitata) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
What recent announcements has she made about information and communication technologies professional development in schools?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
More good news. Today the Government announced that we are investing $10.8 million in a 3-year programme to support teachers to use digital technology. From next year 257 schools—members opposite do not like this—will join this major information and communication technology initiative. It will support teachers with the skills, the knowledge, and the confidence they need to get the benefits from information and communication technology and support student learning.
How does the announcement complement other work being done by the Government in the education sector to help schools with digital technology?
This investment supports the Government’s $150 million commitment to make our schools broadband-ready, to ensure that our children are at the centre of the digital world. Earlier in the year, I announced a round of school network upgrades, and I will very shortly announce a further larger round to ensure that our schools’ infrastructure is ready for ultra-fast broadband. The announcement today will ensure that more teachers are ready and able to take advantage of it.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does her announcement today indicate that she is now ranking information and communication technology skills as being more important than science, social studies, music, and art in primary schools, because she has totally cut the funding for professional development next year in primary schools for all of those subjects?
Mr SPEAKERThe member who asked the question has indicated that he could not hear the end of the answer. I invite the Minister to repeat the answer, and I ask members to be a little more reasonable in their interjection; it has been fairly noisy.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does cutting the money that goes to universities that pay the advisers who go to primary schools not count as a cut to primary schools, in that Minister’s opinion?
Let me explain in words of one syllable so that the member can understand. We have taken the same amount of money that the Ministry of Education contracts for professional advice and we have refocused it on literary and numeracy in order to support the national standards. The sector asked for support for the introduction of the national standards, and that is what this Government has provided. There are no cuts to what is provided; it is the same amount of money but refocused on literacy and numeracy.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I now have a real problem. I know that you do not like people using a point of order to debate, but this Minister has tabled in the House—
Hon Chris CarterI am on my feet! I am not sure what is wrong with that member’s eyes. The member may not have liked the answer but he cannot litigate it by way of a point of order. He can ask further questions. I heard the question he asked and the answer the Minister gave. It was very obvious to me where the difference was arising between the question and the answer. It should not take him much thought to work out which supplementary questions to ask, if he wants to uncover more about it.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Did the Minister announce or include in her Budget documentation a 25 percent cut in professional development going into contracts for professional development, which go to primary schools?
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The member’s answer was to do with early childhood education. It was a very specific question about primary education and the 25 percent cut she announced.
The point raised by the Hon Trevor Mallard is a reasonable one. He asked a question about professional development in primary schools, which is what the primary question was about. The Minister answered in respect of early childhood education, which is not what the primary question was about. I therefore think it is reasonable—and I warn the Leader of the House that I am ruling on this matter—for the Minister to answer that. If she does not have that specific information, that is fair enough, but she avoided the question by commenting in respect of early childhood education. I think the member has a legitimate grievance and I ask the Minister to reply.
Hon Gerry Brownlee Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It may have been that you did not pick up that the member asked the Minister whether there had been cuts to the tertiary education budget, and then he specified what it was and asserted that it had some relationship with the primary education sector. The Minister gave an answer about what was changed in that Budget, and I think it should stand as perfectly reasonable. The member cannot confuse a whole lot of things together, then somehow expect a Minister to unpick them in a very short answer.
No, I do not need any assistance. I have indulged the Leader of the House. The Minister is perfectly capable of answering the question asked. It is directly related to the primary question. From what the Leader of the House has just implied by way of his point of order, he has assumed an answer from what the Minister said. There is no problem, therefore, in the Minister giving the House the answer.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
How can she rely on the advice she has received on professional development in schools, in light of her statement yesterday that enrolment schemes in schools neighbouring Aorangi School would have to be redone, something that cannot occur before term 1 next year—or did she just make that up?
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. The primary question actually related to information and communication technologies professional development in schools.
I think the Minister is making a fair point. I ask the member to bring her question within the scope of the primary question.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
How can she rely on advice that she has received on professional development in schools, in light of statements she made yesterday that have proven to be incorrect?
Rahui KateneI beg your pardon. If members were a little more reasonable with interjections I would hear when members call. I do apologise to Rahui Katene.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. What initiatives are being advanced to develop digital literacy for Māori, to ensure that the flow-on benefits of adopting new technologies are also extended to Māori and whānau?
If the member looks through the list of schools involved, she will see that a number of schools with Māori pupils are involved in this initiative. But we are very conscious of the importance of broadband to, particularly, small, rural Māori immersion schools, and we are working with the Māori Party to ensure that they are included in the rural broadband roll-out.