Key Notes: National Standards For New Zealand

new-zealand-national-party

Wed Feb 03 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Key Notes: National Standards For New Zealand

Wednesday, 3 February 2010, 5:35 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Key Notes: National Standards For New Zealand Schools

Yesterday, together with the Minister of Education, I welcomed the introduction of National Standards in literacy and numeracy into New Zealand's Year 1-8 schools.

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To mark this important milestone I've written to around 350,000 households to draw their attention to National Standards and to explain what they mean for young New Zealanders. The letter is accompanied by a brochure which clearly explains what National Standards are about and how they will affect children and schools.
I encourage you to read this information, to find out what National Standards may mean for your children and your local schools, and to pass this information on to anyone with an interest in New Zealand's education system.
In addition, over the next few weeks, National Party MPs will be holding public meetings up and down the country to talk directly to parents about this important policy. I also encourage you to attend one of these meetings in your local electorate.
National Standards are a core part of National's plan for securing the brighter future we campaigned on. Because while this country is home to some of the best schools, teachers and students in the world, New Zealand has, for too long, let too many children slip through the cracks.
I am simply not prepared to tolerate up to one in five New Zealand children leaving our schools without the literacy and numeracy skills they need to succeed.
National Standards will ensure that all parents, not just the lucky few, can expect their school to regularly test their children against national benchmarks in reading, writing and maths. They will ensure all parents have this information reported to them in plain-language. And they will ensure all parents are properly informed about what is being done to support their child's progress.
New Zealand deserves a future with more highly-skilled citizens, who have better job prospects, greater life choices, and, in turn, who live in a society with less dysfunction, unemployment, welfare dependence and crime.
I see our education system as one of the fundamental tools for delivering this brighter future.
That's why this Government is working hard to ensure National Standards deliver for the benefit of our young people, our economy and for the future of New Zealand.

ENDS

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