Mallard should have listened to communities

new-zealand-national-party

Thu Mar 08 2007 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Mallard should have listened to communities

Thursday, 8 March 2007, 1:08 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education Spokeswoman

8 March 2007

The Labour Government should have listened to communities when they pleaded with them not to use old data when deciding whether to close their schools, says National Party Education spokeswoman Katherine Rich.

Media have today reported that two years after the closing of 10 schools in the Invercargill district, principals say many classrooms are now overcrowded, with schools having to set up enrolment schemes.

Schools in Oamaru are also suffering under the weight of growing rolls after several North Otago primary schools were also closed.

“I’m not surprised at all that some schools in areas where there were major closures are now under pressure because of growing populations,” says Mrs Rich.

“In Southland and Otago, then Minister, Trevor Mallard, was told time and time again that the historical data being used to justify school closures underestimated the communities’ needs and the future growth expected.

“The mergers have not been as successful as Trevor Mallard said they would be, and there is still no evidence that mega-primary schools provide better learning environments than smaller schools, which are often the cherished hub of small communities.

“The Labour Government got this completely wrong.”

ENDS

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