Maori In Lower Decile Schools Will Be Hurt

new-zealand-labour-party

Sun Jul 11 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Maori In Lower Decile Schools Will Be Hurt

Sunday, 11 July 2010, 1:10 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party

**Maori Students In Lower Decile Schools Will Be Hurt
**

Maori students attending lower decile schools will be unfairly affected by government changes to the operational funding of schools, says Labour Associate Maori Affairs and Education spokesperson Kelvin Davis.

Kelvin Davis said Ministry of Education funding will now be tied to quarterly student roll counts rather than annual counts.

“This means that schools with a higher rate of students dropping out – which are typically lower decile schools – will be hit with a funding cut," Kelvin Davis said.

“This policy will have a perverse effect. The funding cuts will frustrate the ability of these schools to support Maori students who most need it. These schools should actually be receiving more funding, not less, so that they can do more to retain students.”

Kelvin Davis said the funding change was “symptomatic of this nasty government's use of the stick instead of the carrot.

“Instead of supporting schools to retain students, the Government is punishing them for not retaining students.
"Students and families living in poorer areas already face tough challenges to get ahead. From now on it is going to become even harder. The Government’s policy flies in the face of advice on the best ways of advancing educational achievement in students attending lower decile schools,” Kelvin Davis said.

Kelvin Davis said the Government’s 4 per cent increase in overall operational funding would not fix the problem because inflation is forecast to hit 5.9 per cent next year, which means another funding cut in real terms.

“Schools will be faced with even harder choices in the future. Should they cut back on cleaning or maintenance, reduce the number of hours of support for special needs children or defer their connection to broadband?

"The tragedy is that none of these choices is about improving education outcomes.”

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from New Zealand Labour Party on InfoPages.