Few ‘quick wins’ for education

Education Minister Chris Hipkins hopes to gain cross-party support for the ‘‘underlying vision’’ of his education overhaul to achieve continuity when the government inevitably changes.

Hipkins announced the wholesale stocktake of the education portfolio yesterday.

How students are taught from early childhood through to postsecondary school will be completely overhauled under the biggest educational reform seen in almost three decades.

The education system known as Tomorrow’s Schools, which was introduced in 1989 under thenprime minister and education minister David Lange, will be reviewed, along with early childhood education, school property, polytechs and vocational training, NCEA, and achievement for Ma¯ ori and Pasifika learners.

The three-year work programme details extensive overhauls as part of a coalition agreement between Labour and NZ First to develop an ‘‘enduring 30-year approach to education’’.

Hipkins said it would take a while to ‘‘turn the ship around’’, but within the next three years there would be ‘‘significant changes’’ across the sector. While there would be some ‘‘quick wins’’, such as changes to learning support, and the polytech and vocational education sector, other areas would take longer to overhaul, such as Tomorrow’s Schools.

The Government had an ‘‘open mind’’ on the outcomes of the review – it was a chance to look at the 30-year-old programme to assess whether he said.

National has criticised the Government’s overhaul, saying it was ‘‘disruptive and unfair’’ for parents, teachers and students if every new government made significant changes in the education sector.

But Hipkins said he had met National education spokesperson Nikki Kaye and was willing to work together where they could gain consensus.

‘‘What I’m trying to do is build a bit more support for the underlying vision ... things will change at the margins, politicians will always promise things, but if we can get some of the structure right, and we can get some of the underlying policy agenda right, then it won’t hopefully fluctuate so much, from government to government.’’

National’s education spokesperson Nikki Kaye and tertiary education spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said this was yet another announcement of another review, but so far the overhaul plan lacked detail.

‘‘We know there are areas that need improvement but we shouldn’t make change for change’s sake,’’ Kaye said.

‘‘The Government must recognise there are areas of education working very well. We have already said we would be keen to work with the Government on areas where we can get cross-party agreement, such as the 30-year plan.

‘‘However, the process matters and it needs to involve collaborative decision-making rather than tick-box consultations with the Opposition and other stakeholders.’’ it was fit-forpurpose,