April 05, 2024
Government undermines own back to school policy
The Principals Federation says policy changes like scrapping free bus fares for primary school children and cutting back on school lunches will make it harder for whānau to get their kids to school.
National president Leanne Otene says it’s at odds with the Attendance Action Plan included in the Government’s latest 36 point quarterly plan.
She says the Government has been selective with who it talks to and it needs to consult with the education unions.
“The best way to input any new policies and practice in schools across New Zealand would be to ensure that you have those major groups and we would expect that we would be having those communications with the ministers to be able to support with the thinking around these policies so we don’t have these mistakes that we’ve just seen – policies at odds with getting kids back to school,” she says.
The new public transport fares come into force when schools go back on May 1.