English, maths, science curriculums changing
WELLINGTON: The Government is to overhaul the school curriculum in the next three to four years.
It says this year’s rewrite of the New Zealand history curriculum will be followed by English, maths and science next year.
The changes will make clearer what children need to know in each subject.
The changes also seek to balance learning that is important nationally with what is relevant locally and to prioritise professional learning and development.
‘‘I know parents, teachers and whanau want more certainty about what tamariki need to learn in schools and kura — their progress, strengths and where support is needed — through a curriculum that focuses on wellbeing, identities, language and culture,’’ Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti said in a statement.
She said she was aware of the challenges teachers were facing.
‘‘These changes seek to reduce teacher workload by providing greater clarity and guidance on what to teach and when. They will help teachers to plan and deliver engaging learning experiences that mean all our tamariki progress and meet their key milestones.’’
Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis said in a statement that the most important shift was to address equity, trust and coherence through integrating the He Tamaiti Hei Raukura framework.
‘‘Akonga [Pupils] need to learn from a curriculum that is rich in te reo and tikanga Maori, is meaningful to them and their whanau, and equips our tamariki with the skills and wellbeing they need in this everchanging world,’’ he said.
The announcement follows criticism of the curriculum from the Principals’ Federation.
The body representing primary and intermediate school principals says changes are needed to arrest slipping results in national and international tests. — RNZ
AUCKLAND: Air New Zealand has made another apology over the Royal Saudi Navy contract.
The national carrier's admitted its gas turbines unit had been working on engines for the Saudi Navy, which has been blocking food and medicine getting into Yemen — in the throes of a humanitarian crisis.
Air New Zealand has terminated the contract and is sending back an engine module it was still working on.
Chief executive Greg Foran and board chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh fronted to a parliamentary committee yesterday, telling MPs the company had ‘‘fallen short’’.
The appearance was part of the committee's regular business, but for Air New Zealand it came during a week it's been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
‘‘Undertaking work like this is certainly not acceptable to me and I know it is not acceptable to Greg [Foran] and it is also not within the values of Air New Zealand and our Air New Zealand whanau, and nor is it in keeping with the values of all New Zealanders,’’ Dame Therese told MPs.
‘‘And for that reason, I apologise on behalf of Air New Zealand that this has occurred.’’
There was an internal investigation already under way and an ‘‘independent external review’’ would be carried out by PwC.
‘‘We want to know what has happened but we also want to know what needs to change in order to make sure that it doesn't happen again.’’
She told the committee the company understood the concerns of those present, and the public ‘‘at the idea that Air New Zealand has been associated with something of this nature’’, and hopes the review take no longer than a month to be completed.
‘‘We absolutely share that concern, we take this deeply seriously and we will do everything required to make it right and to make sure that nothing of this nature happens again.’’
Mr Foran also reiterated the contract was not large enough to have crossed the chief executive's desk and the signoff process ‘‘clearly’’ needed to be reviewed.
He told MPs ‘‘the best’’ he could tell from what he'd been was ‘‘this piece of work is the only piece of work that we've done with the Saudi Arabian Navy, and nor do we have any further work coming down the track with that’’.
‘‘As soon as we became aware of it, we stopped it.’’
Afterwards Mr Foran was asked to name the full list of countries whose militaries have contracts with Air New Zealand.
Mr Foran previously told RNZ that Air New Zealand still had ‘‘about 1020 contracts still ongoing in regards to engines for militaries, involving about five or six countries’’.
When asked which countries they were, he could name the United States, Australia and New Zealand but no others.
‘‘They're the ones I'm clear with at this point ... I haven't had a chance to get into all that level of detail.’’
Mr Foran said he wanted to take time to gather the relevant information before making definitive statements.
Green MP Golriz Gharaman said that was ‘‘absolutely galling ... having just admitted before the select committee that they had no process in place to ensure that they weren't literally committing war crimes via those contracts’’.
‘‘That he hasn't looked at it, that's unbelievable that previous CEOs had no way of telling if the company was committing crimes, including crimes against humanity — we should be frightened’’. — RNZ