February 08, 2018
Bell rings for charter schools
Charter schools will be brought into the state school system under an Education Amendment Bill released yesterday.
ACT leader David Seymour slammed the end of his party’s flagship policy, saying it was a pay off to Labour’s union backers.
He accused Labour’s Maori caucus of missing in action, and claimed the Government knows Maori and Pacific achievement is abysmal but has no clear alternative to partnership schools.
Sixty percent of children in the schools are Maori.
NZEI Te Riu Roa welcomed the Bill, calling the schools a failed and costly experiment.
Its matua takawaenga, Laures Park, says there is no credible evidence charter schools are better for Maori than kura kaupapa or mainstream public schools.
She’s keen to hear more from the Education Minister about support and resourcing for bilingual or immersion education so all learners have their identity, culture and language valued and supported at school.
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