National has dubbed the Government's school system overhaul announced yesterday as a "humiliating" backdown, likening it to the capital gains tax.
The Government is looking to pull some powers from school boards, placing it in the hands of new departments and bringing in more frontline support in schools.
Speaking on TVNZ 1's Breakfast today National Party leader Simon Bridges said: “I think overall it’s a humiliating backdown, I think just like capital gains tax on the economy they were proposing big centralisation of powers around locals and boards and trustees,” said Mr Bridges.
“It was always balmy, it wasn’t going to work, they haven’t done it."
He said he thinks Education Minister Chris Hipkins has a view that every school should be the same.
“My problem with that is actually choice and competition shouldn’t be dirty words in education.
“Ultimately the problem with what Mr Hipkins is proposing it seems to me is not raising the lesser performing schools up, it’s bringing the better ones down and that’s a recipe for disaster.”
The Government has described its response to the Our Schooling Futures: Stronger Together recommendations as "pragmatic and workable improvements".
Today National released it's education discussion document , saying if they're elected to power they will scrap the first year fees-free tertiary education scheme for a new model, bring back partnership schools and reduce class sizes.
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