Teachers play an important role; value them

Christopher Luxon tells us Back to Basics will improve the education of our kids. Teachers say more teachers in schools is the real answer and you should pay them more. Why are the teachers wrong? An MP from each side of the House gives their views.

Ihave huge respect for the work teachers do, and I recognise the challenging time many of our teachers have had, most recently with the weather events, but also their efforts during the global pandemic.

This government values the important role that teachers have in our communities, and we will continue to ensure our teachers are valued for the essential work they do.

Since 2017, this government has increased the average teacher’s salary package by 18%, and the Ministry of Education is focused on reaching current bargaining settlements with teachers.

This government is balancing a range of demands, including mental health, poverty alleviation and chronic underfunding in our health system, which built up over nine years under National. At the same time, we’re rebuilding education – one classroom, new school, or upgrade at a time. Labour governments know improving teachers’ salaries is important, as one part of investing in our education sector.

And in Budget 2023, we’re continuing with record investment in education as we provide support for today, while building for tomorrow. We will deliver 300 new classrooms, up to four new schools, school expansions, and establish 6600 new student spaces.

Mā ori education will again receive a substantial boost, with an investment of $225 million directly into Mā ori Education resulting in more buildings being built and modernised investment in our kura and local histories.

Over the years, we’ve invested more than $1 billion to properly fund this space, while also continuing to develop and nurture te reo. Rural communities will see 175 schools added to the Ngā Iti Kahurangi programme, which upgrades small, isolated school properties.

All these investments come alongside a comprehensive package of cost of living measures, providing relief across childcare, healthcare, transport and power bills.

We’re providing cheaper childcare for parents by making 2-year-olds eligible for the 20 hours’ ECE subsidy. This will be a major saving for families and reduce barriers for working parents to take on more hours if they want to.

We’re helping out with health costs by making prescriptions free, benefiting an estimated 3 million people. Free or halfprice public transport will benefit 1.6 million people, and free fares for children under 13 could see savings of up to $30 a week for families with two children.

Budget 2023 continues our support for education, and for New Zealanders today, as we lay the foundations for a better tomorrow.

Last week the results of the International Reading Literacy Study were released. This study is designed to compare the reading and writing skills of students in numerous countries, and provide insights into how countries have progressed over time.

The report was grim reading in a New Zealand context. Our reading score is now the lowest it has ever been, with children at school today performing worse than New Zealand students two decades ago.

Unfortunately, this study is not an outlier. In our own domestic measure of educational performance, half of our 15-year-olds cannot pass a foundational numeracy and literacy test set at a level the OECD says is necessary to succeed in further learning, life and work.

Failing to educate our children is not only a social failure, but also a future economic crisis in the making.

But let’s be clear – children, teachers and schools are not personally responsible for this decline. Instead, a Wellington-centric view of the education curriculum, poor government leadership, and the need to be driven by ideology and social issues rather than evidence and science are the root causes of the problem.

National’s plan, Teaching the Basics Brilliantly, would require all primary and intermediate schools to dedicate one hour a day to reading, writing and maths. These are the basic skills we need to develop in our children to ensure they are ready to take on the world.

We would also rewrite New Zealand’s school curriculum. At the moment, it is far too loose. It does not give teachers clear guidance about what to teach or when. The curriculum rewrite will be clear about what is taught each year, and we will regulate to ensure students have learnt what the curriculum says they should have, and we will keep parents informed about where their kids are up to.

Finally, we will ensure teachers and teacher trainees spend more time learning how to teach the basics and we will provide them with more classroom tools to help them teach reading, writing and maths brilliantly. Teachers are incredible people, who dedicate their time for the betterment of others. We need to value them, and deliver a central resource bank of highquality teaching resources that support the curriculum.

We have a clearly laid out plan that will deliver change in our students. We cannot continue to fall down the rankings in student achievement; the consequences of doing so are catastrophic for the future of this country. Our children are the future, and we must do our absolute best to nurture and educate them to succeed.