Kids suffer from Tolley’s haste to close Aorangi

new-zealand-labour-party

Wed Mar 17 2010 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Kids suffer from Tolley’s haste to close Aorangi

Wednesday, 17 March 2010, 4:37 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

**Kids suffer from Tolley’s haste to close Aorangi
**

The education of children forced to leave Christchurch’s Aorangi School last year is suffering from Education Minister Anne Tolley’s haste to shut it down, Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel said today.

“Anne Tolley ignored repeated warnings that she wasn’t allowing enough time and giving enough support to parents and students who were being sent to new schools,” Lianne Dalziel said.

“The major concern has centred on the delays around providing a classroom for bilingual education at Burnside Primary. Despite assurances from the Minister at the time she closed Aorangi, these children are receiving their lessons on the school hall stage”.

“That’s just not good enough and it is not fair on the children.”

“They’ve already been through the stress of having their preferred school closed and they still don’t have a dedicated bilingual classroom at their new school. How are they meant to retain their Te Reo Maori in that situation?”

“In the House today Ann Tolley stated that it was community consultation that was holding up the decisions around bilingual education, but I believe it was irresponsible to close a school before these decisions were made.”

Lianne Dalziel said that Anne Tolley had been quick to close the school but she has been slow to address the transition despite the promises she made at the time.

“This is putting an enormous strain on everyone involved and the Minister ought to be accountable for the consequences of her actions.”

ENDS

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