What the new government could mean for education
Wednesday, 29 November 2023
The education sector is in for a shakeup under the new government, with the coalition signalling big changes across all levels.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said it was an “incredible privilege” and she would be “relentlessly focused” on lifting achievement in the basics of reading, writing, and maths.
'There is a lot of work ahead, but I am looking forward to the challenge. “
ACT’s David Seymour now holds the role of Associate Education Minister, and National’s Penny Simmonds is Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills.
Chief concern amongst those in the sector is the return of controversial charter ‒ or partnership ‒ schools which were disestablished in 2018.
National’s coalition agreement with ACT allows for the reintroduction of partnership schools, a policy to allow state schools to become partnership schools and exploring further options to increase school choice.
Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua union acting president Chris Abercrombie labelled charter schools an “expensive distraction”.
“The vast majority of students in Aotearoa are in the public education system and this is where investment should be made,” he said.
New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Leanne Otene said charter schools had not been popular.
The NZEI Te Riu Roa union was also concerned about the return of charter schools.
President Mark Potter said: “What our tamariki need to thrive in the early childhood education and primary years are lower teacher-child ratios. We need quality teachers who are paid properly, which means fully funded pay parity in ECE.
“And in primary we need more teacher aides and specialist support so that teachers are supported to deliver the curriculum.”
There are also likely to be several changes to the curriculum, with a particular focus on how reading, writing and maths is taught and how students are assessed.
A core part of National’s education focus was to require primary and intermediate schools to teach one hour a day each of reading, writing and maths starting from next year, as part of its Teaching the Basics Brilliantly policy.
Otene said she would also be “very surprised” if most schools did not already teach an hour each of reading, writing and mathematics each day.
She said teachers had always had a strong focus on those basics, “as building blocks to future learning”.
ACT has also promised to “restore balance to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum” which was introduced this year and includes a greater emphasis on Māori and Pasifika histories.
Potter said the “huge appetite for learning te reo Māori” by both teachers and students showed Te Tiriti was “more relevant than ever”.
NZ First meanwhile secured a deal to remove and replace the gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines.
Tackling truancy and improving attendance rates is also high on the list, with potential changes to reporting and enforcement action.
In tertiary education, first year fees free is likely to be replaced with a final year fees free, though there will be no change before 2025. The Apprenticeship Boost scheme remains.
In its first 100-day action plan, National also aimed to begin disestablishing Te Pūkenga ‒ New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, which was formed three years ago under then Education Minister Chris Hipkins to run the country’s 16 polytechs and nine industry training organisations.
There are also likely to be significant staff and programme cuts at the Ministry of Education, with recruiting for almost 160 jobs paused as the ministry sought to meet a Labour-government ordered savings requirement of $69.7 million and further cuts likely.