Sweeping education reform plan announced by Government

February 21, 2018

The government wants to take a closer look at the 30-year-old model for how schools operate.

Everything from early education to tertiary education fees, polytechnics and the country's system of self-managing schools will be reviewed under a massive three-year plan announced by the government.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins today announced a sweeping programme of work for Labour's first time in government, saying the school system needed to be future-proofed.

"New Zealand has an education system to be proud of, but as the way we work and live continues to rapidly change, so too do the demands on our education system," he said.

Nikki Kaye asked Chris Hipkins about a meeting he had with one charter school in Northland.

"Too many of the policy settings for the education portfolio, particularly those focused on accountability and compliance, are rooted in a 20th-century mind set."

Major parts of the proposed programme include:

* A review of Tomorrow's Schools - the 1989 reforms that created the current self-managing school system

* Reviewing home-based early childhood education

In the UK some schools have found a cut-price solution.

* "Comprehensive" reform of school property

* A programme of change for vocational education - including polytechnics

* The previously announced review of the NCEA system

The government will also hold a summit in May to get input.

"I want to work with the education system and all its participants in a more collaborative way to set the direction of travel," Mr Hipkins said.

All parts of the programme would include explicit considerations for Maori and Pasifika students.

"Too many Maori students are disengaged from the school system or not progressing to tertiary education," Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said.

"Remedying this situation is a key focus of our education work programme over the next three years."

A cabinet paper summarising the plan includes a specific timeline, with the Tomorrow's Schools review's membership and terms of reference due this month and a report due by the end of the year.

A report on short-term fees-free education policy is due after June while a longer-term look at the system is also in the programme.

Teachers union NZEI welcomed the announced, but urged caution.

"We are generally pleased with the direction this government is taking in education," president Lynda Stuart said.

"We encourage the minister to take the time needed to undertake the reform properly."

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