Listen Now: 
Download AudioAssociate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says he doesn’t see the need for any major reform in education.
Education is shaping up as an election issue, with National claiming the system is failing and promising a back to basics approach – including banning cellphones from classrooms.
ACT is going for a so-called market approach, including a voucher system, publicly-funded private schools and performance pay for teachers.
Mr Davis says there is already constant change in education, and teachers should be treated as professionals and allowed to do what they judge is right for young people.
“A massive overhaul as happened in health would be too disruptive. It would and be like building an aeroplane as you try to fly it, because you’ve got to teach kids each year as well as go through massive changes. I think we have to be careful with another change we foist on schools. Instead we should be going back to the basics of allowing teachers to teach and making sure they have the resources to be able to do their job,” he says.
RELATED NEWS
