New Conservative
Helen Houghton BTchLn
Co-leader New Conservative
Education Spokeswoman
New Conservative is very concerned that this government is about to unleash an over complicated thoughtless reaction to what is a simple problem to solve.
Additional, ‘new assessment tools for measuring kids’ abilities? Exactly what is the Labour government’s ‘strategy’ they have revealed, because Chris Hipkins says turning around our failing reading, writing, and maths rates will take years? Yet the government overnight has a strategy, instigated by a damning report which they cannot continue to hide under the carpet.
A damning report on the failing education system is not in fact a surprise to the general public, yet somehow the government has only just discovered this reality now. When we look at the housing, health, and immigration failed policies; do we really want to let them continue to ruin the education system with our children as well? Those in Oranga Tamariki would beg to avoid more damage to children considering their experience of failed Labour intervention policies.
After all this time, now Labour is going to teach teachers how to teach literacy. Let the teachers teach, take your hands off the curriculum Chris, and focus on the real issues!
Schools need less, not more bureaucratic control. Yet the government wants to provide another knee-jerk reaction instead of addressing the facts that stare them in the face and which experts have highlighted for years, but that fall on deaf ears. Overcrowded curriculum (nothing new here) is not going to improve these appalling rates of academic attainment without bums-on-seats learning and becoming competent in the basics before experiencing self-directed learning – expecting children to teach themselves with teaching staff to ‘facilitate a child’s interest.’ We must teach skills first.
How hard is it to teach a child to read, and to read well? I’ll tell you; it’s not rocket science. We’ve been doing it for centuries.
Keep it simple stupid (KISS) and let teachers do their job. However, it’s not that simple for the government because they will overcomplicate it by sending in the specialists, the analysts, and more working groups. They will then feedback information to a team of ‘highly qualified ministers’(?) who will then deliver a strategy. This will likely consist of yet more training to teach teachers how to teach literacy, which they are already the experts at and just want the freedom to get on and teach it.
Working groups, to tell advisory groups, to instruct trained educators, to teach literacy, makes no sense.
The erosion of our education outcomes is not due to teachers lack of competence in teaching literacy and numeracy. Teachers know how to teach these skills. There are several great ways to teach both literacy and numeracy, and teachers bring all their tools together to provide a comprehensive instruction program. Unfortunately, this government has a track record of killing ants with sledge hammers, and the same will happen here.
Modern Learning Environments, applying cancel culture to our history, indoctrinating children against family values, basing so-called health education on ideology rather than science, instilling fear over climate change and confusion over gender, and depriving them of classroom time forcing them into distance learning, have cost us millions of dollars and produced only negative outcomes.
Highly anxious, often fragile children from families facing external pressures of employment and living costs will face more disruption and unnecessary challenges. Teachers too are facing similar external pressures with shortages in the profession. New Conservative believes it is not the time to trial another idea, but time to encourage and free teachers to get on with using the skills they have learnt without the burden of having to try new things.
So, the question remains, are we going to let the ministers play in the school grounds?
