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September 03, 2013
Community to have say in education direction
Waatea Team
Posted On September 3, 2013
Rotorua is taking a fresh look at its schools to identify ways to develop healthy, safe, well educated children and rangatahi.
Excel project leader Leith Comer, a former Te Puni Kokiri chief executive, says he will be working closely with the ministries of Education, Health, Social Development and Justice, the Police and Ngati Whakaue.
He says Maori do relatively well in Rotorua for educational outcomes, so the project needs to build on that success.
Mr Comer says the current system is about self-managed schools which are in competition.
"What we want in Rotorua are those self-managing schools collaborating to succeed and connecting so I think you're going to see the community set up a number of characteristics about what is great and one of these characteristics I'm sure, we want to see greater collaboration across our education sector and greater connectedness from early childhood right through to tertiary so there is a seamless transition for our kids as they move through the education space," Mr Comer says.
The Excel project will be launched on Friday by Education Minister Hekia Parata and local MP Todd McClay.
Copyright © 2013, UMA Broadcasting Ltd
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