Pledge on classrooms
Labour promises to upgrade old school buildings
AUCKLAND: Labour has pledged to upgrade old school buildings to ensure every school has ‘‘modern’’ classrooms by 2030 — a policy included in an election manifesto that drops last campaign’s promise to reduce class sizes.
The party released its education manifesto yesterday, promising to lower the cost of a ‘‘free’’ education by pumping in an extra $4 billion over four years.
The most radical policies in the manifesto have already been announced — including providing three years of free postschool education over a person’s lifetime and paying schools $150 per pupil if they agree to stop charging ‘‘voluntary’’ donations.
The new pledge is to take immediate steps to rebuild outdated school buildings, with Labour’s education spokesman Chris Hipkins saying they would ensure every school has ‘‘modern’’ classrooms by 2030.
‘‘We can’t afford to have our kids learning in overcrowded classrooms and spaces that were never intended for classroom learning, such as caravans and dental clinics that we’ve seen under National,’’ Mr Hipkins said.
Another policy is to establish a plan to ensure all school students have access to mobile digital devices for ‘‘BYOD’’ learning — a similar position to its 2014 policy to provide a kickstarter payment and then have parents pay off a tablet or netbook at $3.50 a week.
Doing so will cost $107 million over four years, the party said, and will involve working with communities to find a solution that best suits them.
Mr Hipkins said Labour was committed to addressing teacher supply issues and raising the standard of the profession, and had set aside $40 million over four years to address supply issues.
‘‘But our $1.8 billion package to deliver a modern education system will also enable the delivery of other major initiatives to drive teaching excellence.’’
Before the 2014 election, Labour focused on reducing class sizes to one teacher to 26 students at primary and a maximum average class size of 23 at secondary schools. Those specific goals have been dropped.
Mr Hipkins told the Herald the 2014 policy to cut class sizes would have been funded by scrapping National’s flagship education policy, Investing in Educational Success (IES).
‘‘A lot of money is committed now. It remains a goal to reduce class sizes and we will have more to say on that in due course.’’
In early childhood education, Labour has stuck with its 2014 policy to require ECE centres to employ at least 80% qualified teachers by the end of its first term, and has pledged to reinstate extra funding for centres that employ 100% qualified and registered teachers.
The party says it will also support new public ECE centres in poorer areas through targeted establishment grants.
In 2014 the party had pledged to extend the 20 hours of free ECE education for 3 and 4yearolds to 25 hours per week. There is no mention of that in summary documents released to media before yesterday’s announcement.
The primary and intermediate school staff union NZEI welcomed Labour’s education policies, saying they would mark the beginning of a rebuild of schooling and ECE. —NZME.