Does NZ's education system need an overhaul? Minister eyes 'long-term systemic issues'

April 9, 2019

Big changes could be in store for our schools if the Government adopts the recommendations of a new review. qa_explainer_utube_a08

Changes could be in store for New Zealand's education system, with the Education Minister saying he wants to deal with "long-term systemic issues". 

In school halls across New Zealand, an independent task force headed by Bali Harque has been explaining the proposed new model of education.

"We want a collaborative education system where people work together...It's about the children."

Support for changes has often been strongest in lower decile areas. National also supports much of the report but has concerns about the proposed major structural changes.

It recommends scrapping the 10 regional education ministry offices and instead creating 20 hubs responsible for 125 schools.

It would assume all legal responsibilities currently held by boards of trustees - handling all property management, hiring principals and moving them around to ensure all schools have good leadership.

Intermediate schools would be phased out and out-of-zone enrollments would be limited.

The amount of donations a school could ask for would also be limited and the decile system would be replaced with and equity index, so disadvantaged schools would receive the money needed.

On TVNZ1's Q+A, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said he was not approaching the recommendations "from the basis that the system is broken".

Jessica Mutch McKay interviews the Education Minister on the need to overhaul our education system.

"We want to deal with some long-term systemic issues that the system has," he said.

On the recommendation of education hubs taking over some of the powers of schools and boards of trustees, Mr Hipkins agreed with the idea of an additional level of support for schools. However, he said that the consultation would look at whether the design of the hubs was "right".

Mr Hipkins also said the hubs could be partly the answer to bridging the gap between the Ministry of Education and schools.

"The hubs could well be part of the answer to that. But I'm not saying we're buying into that model. That's what this consultation is about - we want to hear what people have to say."

Mr Hipkins said the idea of principals having five-year terms was "certainly not something I would buy into. I think the task force itself have ruled that out".

He also said he would not be taking away the choice of parents by limiting out-of-zone enrollments.

"I don't think we'll ever go back to the hard zoning we would have had prior to 1989 where you basically had one choice of school and that was that."

On limiting the amount schools can ask for in donations, Mr Hipkins said the Government would be sticking to its commitment of extra funding so schools did not have to rely on donations. But it is reliant on this year's Budget, he said.

"At the moment, there's no question in many cases schools have to ask for donations because the funding isn't sufficient. The Government's made some commitments about how we will address those. Those are subject to budget discussions, of course.

"We might not come through with that all in one go but we have made an absolute commitment that we want to ensure schools are properly funded and not reliant on donations from parents."

On the issue of the primary teacher pay offer that was rejected yesterday, Mr Hipkins maintained there was no more money on the table.

The Prime Minister says the Government is “facing a range of competing needs".

He said the threat of strike action by primary teachers and principals was disappointing. The Government, he added, "is dealing with a range of issues across the board - education is only one of them".



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