Brave steps needed to fix learning

A recent international report on educational achievements in 50 countries has delivered the astounding news that NZ has plummeted many positions to now pull up in 33rd (!) position, eight places lower than the last report of 2011.

The survey delivers findings on literacy and numeracy competencies on students.

This massive decline in standards has taken place under the watchful eyes of National Government since 2008 with three Ministers of Education (Tolley, Parata (2011-2017) and Kaye.

Schools have consistently rejected the narrow focus of the NZ curriculum with a fixation on testing rather than teaching, a massive concern in the past five years.

These international findings are an indication of an educational system that has failed to deliver to its very obvious potential in the last decade.

There is a solution for a brave Education Minister who acknowledges the failure and wants to take major steps to correct and uplift educational performance of Kiwi learners:

1. Restructure a grossly overstaffed and increasingly irrelevant Ministry of Education (MOE) by 50 per cent. The recent abolition of National Standards will make that easier.

2. Reduce class sizes in all schools — down to 23 max in primary and 15 in all classes 7 years and under.

3. Redirect the Education Review Office (ERO) to report annually on educational standards across all schools with recommendations to address issues of concern, and audit recommendations the following year and report results.

This shouldn’t be a problem — schools have been required to do this via annual reports for the past 10 years.

Jim McTamney, Mt Maunganui.

Families package

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the new Families Package will almost halve child “poverty” by 2021. It sounds commendable but will the predictable return of inflation negate these payments over time? What then?

Family assistance is provided for accommodation, rental subsidies, income support, school meals, free doctors’ visits, wet-weather garments and now winter energy payments. Generous enough?

In view of this benevolence maybe “poverty” is a misnomer appearing contradictory to an additional coalition policy to confront child obesity.

Despite a booming economy with jobs aplenty, 10 per cent of working age NZers receive a full welfare benefit.

Is the strangulation of aspiration and self reliance almost complete as we progress onwards to greater state dependency or will the coalition fiscal programme fail to survive if an economic slowdown looms large?

P. J. Edmondson, Tauranga.

Celebrating Christmas

In the consumerist frenzy that dominates December, it’s become harder each year to detect the underlying reason for celebration. Why has Jesus Christ almost vanished from Christmas? Conventional explanation: “Not everyone is Christian”.

So what? This cultural cringe is based on false assumptions. Baha’i, Buddhists and agnostics are not offended by a humble birth in a refugee family, whatever they may think of its significance. Muslims in particular have deep respect for the person of Jesus. Let’s celebrate the reason for the season, not disguise it. David Blaker, Three Kings.

Anti-Trump agenda

Several letter-writers in the past few days have questioned and been rebuffed on the hackneyed subject of: “Does the Herald have an anti-Trump agenda?”

Without a doubt, it does. In (Saturday’s) edition, a whole page epitomises vitriolic anti-Trump propaganda and is authored by Nicola Lamb, Herald foreign editor.

Thankfully readers of intelligence, who are appalled by nastiness and arrogant personal judgments toward the elected leader of the US whose office is worthy of respect, can think critically, source the facts from other reliable sources, and form balanced opinions.

I do wonder why genuinely fine former Presidents, such as Kennedy and Clinton, are never under the spotlight for their immoral conduct which they blatantly and without conscience indulged in while in office? Why the double standard of judgment? Sometimes, men with excellent leadership ability do have a history. Men, and women, both act inappropriately at times, (it takes two to tango) and what is important is that it is historical, and not while in office. Giving President Trump respect and recognition for his unique abilities, one of which is coming from the other side of the spectrum and having an entrepreneurial business success background rather than being steeped in political correctness lore, is long overdue. Yes, really!

Gabrielle Gregory, Omokoroa.

Bike lane protests

It must be baby boomer week. In the same week that we are visited by Sir Paul McCartney there are extraordinary happenings at the top of Garnet Rd.

Baby boomer protesters. Tents, banners, petitions etc . . . Not the Vietnam War. Not anti-nuclear. Not anti-apartheid. No, they are protesting against bike lanes!

Millionaires in their newly valued homes, they are worried about the number of car parks. They have succeeded in stalling the development, no doubt increasing the cost, but they have been well practised in benefiting from taxpayers’ dollars over the course of their lives. They have all the time in the world to settle in for a really good protest.

They are angry. They live in a beautiful city but appear to not be able to cope with a different vision to their own. It would be much better for their health to get on a bike and enjoy the sunshine.

Thank you Auckland Transport for being so rebellious.

David Stoner, Westmere.

Monitoring children

Ministers for Children, Tracey Martin (and Jacinda Ardern) are abdicating their responsibility towards innocent children by refusing to adopt a monitoring system up to the age of 5 years. All children within this age bracket are especially vulnerable and with 94 deaths between 2007 and 2014 I fail to understand the logic that such cases are “rare”! It takes guts to override the idea that “Kiwis are not comfortable with the monitoring and most families are good ones”. If you have nothing to hide there is no problem. I, as an ex-teacher of that age group, would be delighted that there was monitoring, which would include poverty levels, abuse, deafness, speech, sight, obesity and growth charting for these children. It would save millions in health care, specialist education and mental health issues in the future.

Are Kiwis also not comfortable with poverty, inequality, drug and alcohol use, suicide rates, educational standards, orthopaedic surgery, fresh water, pollutants, etc, etc, which are monitored?

Someone has to have the intestinal fortitude to say, “enough is enough” to the murder of 94 little children and be accountable! This is what the coroner is saying, but his repeated advice is being once again ignored. Is this coalition Government going to be just like the previous one and “softsoap” issues?

Marie Kaire, Whangarei.

End of Life Choice Bill

I am distressed by the amount of apparent disinformation being bandied about by the bodies entrenched in their opposition to the End of Life Choice Bill

This bill is not about killing off the nuisances, the elderly or anyone else. It is about helping someone who has an incurable, agonising illness of whatever sort to bring that suffering to an end at a time and place of their own choosing.

It is that person who has to initiate that request, and then be of right mind, obtain the support of many other people and finally get it done.

Nowhere along the line will anybody be forced into something they do not want to do. I have recently known of an old friend with cancer, in extreme pain. She begged to have help in dying and no one could do anything about it.

I would say to the churches and other groups who so vehemently oppose the bill, what has happened to your compassion and humanity? We are talking about people in pain and misery, not about regulations and safeguards.

The latter are important but secondary and, if you read the bill, are adequately covered. As it is, the time taken to deal with the paperwork is likely to mean that in many cases, it will be too late.

Robin Osborne, Tauranga.

DHB delivery

Is every “frontline” person in a DHB clear on the key performance indicators in the role, what to do to deliver to standard, with the skills and equipment needed?

Is every frontline person committed to conduct themselves in the role to meet the standards? Do frontline teams accept the demand that people’s wellbeing is “balanced” against having to take care of people within budget?

Do the frontline teams assert they are ready and able to deliver “balanced” results to standard? Do their leaders support and agree with their team?

Building “yes” requires applying a human capital management “system” to focus the DHB assets on “balanced” delivery of results. Such a “system” is available here, developed in NZ.

With frontline teams ready to take up the “balanced” load, could the number of “managers/administrators” (non-frontline staff) be cut by 40 per cent? Would DHBs then be able to operate within their budgets while providing socially acceptable, sustainable healthcare?

I have faith in frontline health “system” people. Perhaps it is time politicians take note of these people over executives with excesses that continually fail to deliver the results. Graham Little, Birkenhead.