Underfunding schools sells our kids short
new-zealand-labour-party
Tue Jun 02 2015 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Underfunding schools sells our kids short
Tuesday, 2 June 2015, 3:54 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Education Spokesperson
2 June 2015 MEDIA STATEMENT
Underfunding schools sells our kids short
Student learning will suffer and parents will be asked to fork out even more for their children’s education because of National’s underfunding of education in this year’s Budget, Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.
“A [survey of principals](https://zen.nzherald.co.nz/media/webcontent/document/pdf/201523/School Charges Survey.pdf) found cash-strapped schools have had to stop classroom activities, cancel field trips and drop some courses. One school even had to ask the Qualifications Authority for special permission to alter its assessment requirements so its students wouldn’t fail NCEA.
“This situation will only get worse because National has underfunded education by $40 million in this year’s Budget. Core Crown spending for the sector needed to reach $13.17 billion in the 2015/16 financial year just to keep pace with inflation and demographic changes. However, the sector only received $13.13 billion.
“This is a funding cut in real terms – no matter how you dice it.
“National promised it would not cut education funding. This is another broken promise and our children are paying the price.
“High schools are trapped between a rock and a hard place after a crack-down by the Ministry of Education on schools asking parents for donations for curriculum activities.
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“Hekia Parata claimed today schools have “never been more well-funded”. Astoundingly, she went on to blame these cut backs on schools themselves, saying they had a choice and were mismanaging their Budgets.
“This is an outrage from an Education Minister whose own incompetence and mismanagement resulted in the Government having to fork out $53 million to fix her broken Novopay payroll system,” Chris Hipkins says.
ends
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