Uphill climb ahead for Nikki Kaye
Incoming Education Minister Nikki Kaye might be young but she’s had years waiting in the wings.
Nikki Kaye has big plans to ‘‘modernise’’ the education portfolio but the test will be whether she can pull it off without spooking the country in the process.
The 37-year-old is relatively young to take on the role - but she’s no education rookie.
After four years sitting at the right-hand of Hekia Parata, who has undertaken some of the biggest reforms the sector has seen - think collaboration of schools, online schools and the decile funding review - it’s Kaye who she’s groomed to see them through.
Kaye would never have been comfortable taking on education while Parata, a mentor and close friend, was still in Parliament so her big break came when Parata announced she was stepping down at the election.
That of course coincided with Kaye fighting one of her biggest battles yet breast cancer - but it was made clear by both former Prime Minister John Key and her current boss, Bill English, that if she came back the job was hers.
There’s no question she’ll steer her own course in the education portfolio - plodding along with the status quo is not really her bag.
While her responsibilities as associate education minister have focused on digital technology and school property, it’s safe to say she’s well versed in many other areas, and will have been burning the candle at both ends with Parata in the lead-up to the Budget in a few weeks. But it’s that area she knows better than most digital technology - that will have the principals, teachers, parents and students of the country bracing themselves. Communities of Online Learning (COOLs) have already got the Opposition sharpening their knives.
The great fear is that there will be a whole heap of unregistered teachers writing material on a broad range of subjects something like the United States charter school model.
Kaye is seen as a ground breaker in technology in schools and convincing the unions that she’s not going to go full spectrum on them will be a full-time job.
There’s also the issue of new technologies in the curriculum teaching students for future jobs and managing the expectations of industry leaders and schools as well as those of parents.
Then there’s those students who don’t have internet access at home - at the newly opened Haeata Community Campus in Christchurch less than half of their roll can do homework online.
There’s already been some argybargy from industry leaders wanting to have their own separate area carved out in the curriculum. They’ve also warned the working group charged with the reforms to give it the attention they think it deserves. This creates all sorts of questions, like, what resources to put into it, whether registered teachers deliver the programme and how much control to give industry in the classroom?
On top of that Kaye needs to decide whether to potentially commit political suicide by steam rolling ahead with the funding review of schools, a new ‘‘at risk’’ model to replace deciles, with an election only months away.
Don’t be surprised if Kaye, who doubles as Youth Minister, also delves into some of the social issues bubbling to the surface this year, namely, the role of parents versus teachers in addressing bullying, sexual education and mental health.
Kaye has had six portfolios since she first joined Cabinet in 2013 she’s got the credentials for the job and if she can get the sector on board she might just be able to modernise the cart without spooking the horses, so to speak.