Minister sets out future vision for education
More than 60 teachers and businesspeople attended a breakfast event at Pataka recently to hear Education Minister Hekia Parata talk.
The event was hosted by Partners Porirua to celebrate partnerships between education, business and the community.
Ms Parata complimented Partners Porirua on its motivational work to bring businesspeople into the classroom, before highlighting positive aspects of the education system including the involvement parents through boards trustees.
She also talked about how multi- ethnicity turns into multicultural understanding and that the way we teach, and the examples that are now used that are much more relevant to the culture of the community members.
Ms Parata outlined advancements in career guidance, starting as young as intermediate level. She said it was important for there to be a transition of of between secondary learning and tertiary studies, taking students on a learning journey so that it widens their life options.
The Minister said in the past there had been culture of celebrating those who became professionals such as lawyers and accountants, while those who didn’t reach the apex of their educational journey would enter into occupations requiring practical skills.
However, now there was a much greater appreciation of the need for tradespeople and the opportunities trades present. In future, she said, whatever is right for the student will be celebrated. Work has begun to develop vocational pathways which aim to give new and clear learning options to students, especially for the estimated 70 per cent of secondary school students who don’t go to university.
Organisations such as Partners Porirua can show young people their choices in the workplace and give them an early introduction to what they can do with their lives, she said.
The Minister answered questions about what research had inspired her, vulnerable children and the proposed changes to the way government delivers services.
Partners Porirua manager Michelle Robinson said the teachers’ breakfasts are a regular event to celebrate businesseducation partnerships, but this event had drawn a bigger crowd than usual.