For the second time in a week I have to congratulate Peter Dunne on having the sense to oppose the Nats:
Peter Dunne opposes charter schools
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne says he will vote against legislation establishing charter schools. …
Dunne says he’s not convinced by the charter schools model and he is particularly concerned at proposals which will allow charter schools to employ teachers who are not registered or nationally certified.
The United Future leader is also worried the schools will not be compelled to follow the National curriculum.
Two of many good objections to charter schools. Below the line I’m going to repost the content of an earlier post on the issue of qualified teachers…
The Nats’ inconsistency on the importance of having well qualified teachers is one of their most brazen examples of naked political opportunism. Hekia Parata:
Focus on quality will raise achievement
Education Minister Hekia Parata today said the National-led Government’s focus on teaching quality will raise achievement and ensure our young people get the skills they need to reach their potential. … “The single most important thing we can do to raise achievement is to improve teaching quality.”
Key: Don’t worry about unqualified teachers
Prime Minister John Key says people should not be “hung up” on the fact that teachers without qualifications will be able to teach New Zealand children at charter schools.
Key’s self-serving dismissal of qualified teachers should by all rights be impossible to maintain in the face of a stinging report from the Ministry of Education, here reported by 3 News:
Ministry’s warning over charter schools
The Government is pushing ahead with allowing charter schools to employ unregistered teachers, despite the Ministry of Education warning against it.
… A regulatory impact statement from the ministry says anything less than 100 percent registered teachers “does not align with the government’s quality initiatives”.
“Teacher registration is one the most influential levers in raising teacher quality across the profession in both state and private schools,” it said.
“Allowing charter schools to stand outside this work will significantly damage the credibility of the crown.”
It said the potential for negative impacts on students’ education from unqualified or unregistered teachers is “high”.
The Nats won’t listen because the Nats don’t care about the quality of education, they only care about privatising it.
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