The Standard » education

Budget nasties

Bunji — Fri, 25 May 2012 08:27:58 +0000

This afternoon a couple of 'hidden treasures' have come out of the budget. In changes not announced, but discovered 1122 teachers could be losing their jobs and changes are being made to the assets old people are allowed to keep once in residential care. Sneaky, Bill, sneaky...

An Open Email to Hekia Parata

The Standard — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:21:58 +0000

An email from a concerned Principal about what Hekia Parata's changes - principly class size - will do to our children's futures. And the address Emeritus Professor Ivan Snook gave to graduating teachers last week.

Back to school for Parata

Zetetic — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:01:12 +0000

Parata on The Nation: "what we've had is a five-fold increase in the number of teachers while we've only had a 2% increase in students". There are 52,500 teachers. Is Parata really saying there were only 10,500 a decade ago? The minister needs remedial maths, methinks. This is the tragedy: our kids' education being toyed with by nincompoops and dullards with a dumbarse ideological agenda.

Joyce’s latest brainfart

Eddie — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:27:59 +0000

This week, Minister for Talking Big and Not Delivering, Steven Joyce, had his second opinion piece in the Herald of the year and, naturally, it bore no relation to the 'vision' in the previous one, or any of the 5 point strategies or 8 point action plans he has produced to date. Instead, it said 'wouldn't it be great if more international students came here?'. Problem is, his actions are driving them away.

Nats to cut 500 teachers

James Henderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:30:22 +0000

If there was any doubt that National has an anti-teacher, anti-education agenda, it's gone. Increasing class sizes will 'save' $43m a year by reducing the number of teachers that would otherwise be required by 500. National standards will be used for performance pay. It's a cut to the frontline, a cut to our kids' learning. And Parata's comments suggest more to come.

You can’t fix what is not broken – no need to change university councils

Guest post — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:45:50 +0000

Dr Sandra Grey from the Tertiary Education Union has a look at Stephen Joyce's proposals to changing the governance of tertiary education institutions. She suggests that he has a look at what happened in the changes to the polytechs in 2009. And also points out that his proposals don't follow what is known about good governance for universities.

But it has been apparent to readers here that Joyce prefers to be a fiddler rather than being effective..

Education for the elite under National

Zetetic — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:46:34 +0000

National's going to cut access to the student allowance and up the repayment rate on student loans. Basically a hike on your graduate tax. These measures won't save much themselves. But they'll make higher education unaffordable for many. Fewer people will get qualifications. That's how they'll save costs: by blocking higher education for the poor, leading to a less skilled population. Loving this brighter future.

Inter-generational theft

Jimmy Reid — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:24:43 +0000

Baby boomers strike again. In 1989, University fees for domestic students in New Zealand were less than $300. Moreover, for many students, 90% of that cost was met by the government through a fees grant. NZUSA has a very good history of fees in New Zealand. But I just want to say thank you to the baby boomer generation. ...

More willful ignorance on charter schools

Anthony R0bins — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:35:32 +0000

Armstrong tries to downplay the risks of charter schools. To do so of course he has to (as the PM so often does) denigrate the science that he wants to ignore.

Nats’ economic failures just another excuse for cuts

Zetetic — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:49:06 +0000

Didn't take much clairvoyance to see that National would fail to meet its promise of a Budget surplus by 2014/15. You've never seen a Finance Minister have his forecasts cut so often and look so happy about it. His failure against his own artificial target gives him an excuse to cut. His party's ineptness to blame but we pay. Students look to be his target this round.

$100m for Lizards

Mike Smith — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:54:40 +0000

John Key and Bill English couldn't find $150million over four years for increased parental leave that would hugely benefit future children. Horrors - we would have to borrow! But they could find $100million straight away to pay international investment banks including Australian company Lazard's to advise on asset sales that robs our children's future and that nobody else wants. It's a matter of priorities - money gets money, kids get nothing.

Ideological blindness on education

Anthony R0bins — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:33:50 +0000

The Nats are determined to ignore the evidence on the harm caused by charter schools, just as they are ignoring evidence on the damage done by national standards. This willingness to harm kids, as incidental pawns in their ideological games, really pisses me off.

Brain drain getting younger

Anthony R0bins — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 22:24:22 +0000

Oh great. Now we're losing Kiwis overseas straight out of high school...

NRT – Unqualified crony Isaac gets charter schools job

The Standard — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:55:19 +0000

ACT-crony Catherine Isaac will head the implementation of the government's unmandated charter schools programme. Isaac has no relevant expertise to justify this appointment. She has been given the position (and a generous public salary) solely on the basis of ideology and party affiliation. That is not how our public service is supposed to work.

Good for the goose…?

James Henderson — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:10:54 +0000

Treasury has repeatedly proven itself incapable of forecasting its way out of a paper bag but, for some reason, that doesn't stop it trying to tell everyone else how to do their jobs. Currently, they're pushing for larger class sizes in the reduced education budget. Someone should ask why the education budget is under pressure but Treasury's isn't. Wait, someone did.