As the budget nears – it is clear that the area of greatest need for youth development, future prosperity and growth – is one of National/ACT’S lowest priorities.
The area is – of course EDUCATION – where:
- Barely 50% of NZ students are fully attending schools – with statistics being much lower for Maori or Pasifika students.
- The 2024 LEAVERS date will show a huge decline in the number of Pacifica and Maori students achieving Level 1 NCEA. This will be spun as being caused by making the system more credible. If that had been combined with 5 years of high-quality lead in teaching it could be an acceptable argument.
Minister Stanford, who is heading towards zero legacy, has made some marginal changes around curriculum – and is yet to truly carry the sector on those. Combined with the pay equity debacle she is not likely to face ever increasing push-back.
She is making a huge mistake with the assessment protocols she is asking the Ministry to implement for Year 1 – 8s but refusing to meet with true, international, experts such as John Hattie.
Both National and ACT promised to decrease the MoE employment count to the pre-Ardern government number of 2,700. Almost no progress has been made – despite announcements to the contrary (apparently the process was stuffed up) – and the Ministry “head count” is still above 4,200. This amount of employees costs many millions with a demonstratively negative correlation with student achievement.
I.E. In this area Nicola Willis could save plenty -AND – improve the outcomes of our education system.
The Minister (Stanford) and Assoc. Minister (Seymour) are completely out of touch (and their depth) and have no political will to change anything significant. The Minister has not even been prepared to work with State Services to find a new Secretary for Education – Ellen MR has just been appointed as an actor for another 12 months. As with here, all of the other Dep Secs from Labour’s appalling reign in education are trundling along.
It matters very little if you change literacy and numeracy programmes if barely 50% of students are fully attending school (the low bar of 90% of days). Those children were very likely to be the ones thriving under previous programmes.
Our government education spend for 2024-25 was $20.5billion (exclusive of tertiary education).
If times were truly tough Nicola Willis could save plenty there.
The high profile spends on food, attendance, Charter Schools and extra needs are tiny in comparison to central Ministry employment and resourcing for those people.
When will National/ACT actually become serious re the level of change actually required? You should rock the boat when it is full of dead fish and stagnant water.
For those who would typically vote National/ACT – they need a HUGE push in this area.
Republished with permission from the author’s Substack.
Changing the education and political systems in NZ requires WORK!
The Lampreys, Toads, Pigs & Leeches and other associated Parasites will NOT commit to anything, except enriching themselves at the expense of ratepayers.
They are lazy, so nothing will change short of Parliament being stormed once again with Covid Lockdown and Vaccine protestors, and a serious thousand-person Hikoi.
& BTW- if you want change from ‘poliTICKS as usual, vote for the NZ Loyal Party in 2026.
After all, they’re taking flak from the Deep State hidden PTB as they are right on target with their platform, policies and priorities.
THAT IS WHY THE NZ LOYAL PARTY HAS BEEN DE-BANKED BY ALL OF THE BANKS HERE IN NZ. They can’t even open an account here…
Imagine the uproar if that happened to the Maori Party, or the Greens…
“THAT IS WHY THE NZ LOYAL PARTY HAS BEEN DE-BANKED BY ALL OF THE BANKS HERE IN NZ. They can’t even open an account here…”
That’s unreal. How is that bias even allowed?!?
Hi one schooling all day everyday! Big community, clever well adjusted kids. The school system is a joke and f knows where the stats come from re Polynesians, typical race baiting bs! Cut this shit out, why separate? It’s pathetic. Many, many ,many of my family have graduated highly so f off with the stats.
We already know stats lie, negative feedback negates negative actions – guess that’s the aim right 😡😡😡🤬
Homeschoolers are very seldom mentioned as well…and many homeschooled kids are forbidden to participate in mainstream education’s sports programs.
https://dailytelegraph.co.nz/news/homeschool-athletes-denied-medals-under-school-sport-nz-rules-spark-calls-for-change/
Universities acknowledge that homeschooled applicants score higher, and will take the homeschoolers over the mainstreamed ‘pipelined’ students overall.
Stanford has a LOT of information about the shortcomings of organised education, including Gregg Smith’s book titled ‘Swimming in the Cesspool’
https://www.amazon.com.au/Swimming-in-the-Cesspool/dp/1447883268
Nothing will be done by Stanford, as there is no money to make any real changes!
Denials, delusions and ‘blame something else’ loathing will continue in Parliament, the Universities, the PolyTechs, and the Primary & Secondary Education Institutions, along with the assaults, bullying, knifings and murders at bus stops by school-age ‘children’..!