Greater autonomy for schools in the offing

Government-owned schools may have greater autonomy and order their own affairs and destiny if the Education Ministry accepts the recommendations of the Inter-Party Working Group and proposes relevant changes for Parliamentary approval.

The Group, comprising Associated Education Minister Dr Heather Roy (ACT Party), Hekia Parata (National) and Te Ururoa Flavell (Maori launched its Report at a function in Parliament Building on February 16.

The Report recommended an eight-step programme and asked Education Minister Anne Tolley to appoint a Task Force for its implementation by 2011.

“Choice, flexibility, quality and accountability are four principles underlying the recommendations, which we believe are important to improve the outcomes for students. The Report emphasises the needs of students through a personalised learning pathway,” she said.

She said the Report underscored the need for a change in the way the education system worked in New Zealand.

“There should be a wider choice for students to develop a personal learning plan and choose a learning provider who will meet their needs, interests and goals.

“Those providers should have the flexibility to expand and find staff, curricula and pedagogies that match student needs,” she said.

Those words were music to Education Forum Chairman (and Auckland based McLean’s College Principal) Byron Bentley.

He said schools should have greater autonomy, allowing them to expand or contract according to the market trends and have their own employment arrangement with the teaching staff.

“Education was centralised in 1998, and that was a mistake,” he said.

He said parents should have a wider range of school options with comparable funding.

“Choices are always limited but the policy aim should be to expand them as much as possible. The model proposed is similar to those in Netherlands and Sweden,” he said.

He said the Policy should focus on the most disadvantaged and the most gifted children but eventually made applicable across the board.

“The importance of parental choice going hand in hand with moves to free up the delivery of education is well established in educational research,” Mr Bentley said.

Ms Parata said the quality of education expanded and improved life choices, impacting the individual, the family, community, and ultimately the society.

“Ensuring an excellent education for all our school students is therefore a critical personal and public investment.

“Learning to read, write, and count as part of an integrated New Zealand Curriculum will provide a strong and enduring education platform,” she said.

Ms Parata warned against the under-performance of Maori and Pacific Island population, saying that one in three was failing.

“These are urgent warning signals to a caring and cohesive society; an economy ambitious for growth; and a shared aspiration for higher standards of living for all,” she said.

Mr Flavell said Maori under-achievement was an issue that needed to be addressed immediately.

“The same old, ‘been there, done that’ approach will not help. Our focus in the Group has been to ensure that the disadvantaged are not used to advantage those already blessed with privilege,” he said.

The report has documented the plight of about 20% of students, who were continuing to fail. An Education and Science Select Committee inquiry over a year ago gave us a good lead about some of the causes for this failure. We need to address this problem and find a lasting solution,” he said.

Mr Bentley said the launch of the National Standards was an important development.

“The Government’s approach should appeal to Maori parents,” he said