Let’s help the school system
Education Minister Hekia Parata offers a lesson on funding.
New Zealand has a very good education system. That’s beyond debate. Can we make it better? Yes, we can and we must.
As a passionate New Zealander and as a mum, I want to see an education system that delivers quality learning for every child and young person every day. Their achievement matters, to their families, their communities - and to me.
I visit schools right across New Zealand on a regular basis, seeing for myself what’s happening in our classrooms. I speak to teachers, principals and parents about what I, as the Education Minister, can do to support them to ensure our kids are achieving.
The proposed changes that we’re making in education are all about putting our kids at the centre of the education system, lifting the educational success of every young New Zealander.
This means ensuring we get the right funding for the right children at the right time.
That there are a wide range of education options that reflect our modern era, and that schools are supported in the best possible way to ensure that every child is learning the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in life.
Schools also need to be supported to make sure they’re doing the best job they can for our kids.
Our education system is well funded. At $11.04 billion this year, it is the biggest ever investment in early childhood education and schools. That’s more than we spend on police, defence, transport, conservation and foreign affairs combined. As I’ve often said: ‘‘That’s a shipload of money.’’
And that ‘‘shipload’’ is growing. Funding hasn’t been frozen. Schools’ operational funding has increased by $12.3 million for next year, taking it to a total of $1.35b. Spending has also increased by more than inflation, and I’m not expecting that to change any time soon. The funding review currently taking place is focused as much on whether we are getting the best for all these taxpayer bucks, as well as what else we might need.
I want our education system to ensure that every Kiwi kid can fly!