Minister ignores maths under-achievement

new-zealand-national-party

Thu Jul 19 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Minister ignores maths under-achievement

Thursday, 19 July 2007, 4:46 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education Spokeswoman

19 July 2007

Steve Maharey's eagerness to crow about improving numeracy rates has made him forgetful about the large number of students who leave primary school and still don't have even basic maths skills, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich.

The Numeracy Development Projects (NDP) have been carried out at the majority of primary schools since 2000 and show one-third of primary pupils in Year 6 are below or well below the expected level in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

"The Minister thinks this is acceptable, and that additional support is 'not about only helping those at the bottom end'.

"Actually, if we are going to up the skill level of our country, some of the biggest gains are at the bottom end, where we need to do more to get kids over the line.

"He pretends that there is comfort in percentages, but what he is actually admitting today is that of the 7,386 primary school students sample, nearly 2,500 children can't add or subtract at their expected level after six years of primary school.

"Isn't the ability to add and subtract the very least a parent should expect of their child as they go on to secondary school?

"When potentially one in three children are finishing primary school not able to do maths at the expected level, it's not time for Steve Maharey to congratulate himself - it's time to work harder to make improvements."

ENDS

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