Education Minister Treats ‘at Risk’ Students as Joke

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Wed Sep 07 2016 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Education Minister Treats ‘at Risk’ Students as Joke

Wednesday, 7 September 2016, 3:40 pm
Press Release: New Zealand First Party

Tracey Martin MP

Spokesperson for Education
7 SEPTEMBER 2016

The criteria Education Minister Hekia Parata has used to assess the funding needs of schools with students ‘at risk’ of underachieving is laughable, says New Zealand First Education Spokesperson Tracey Martin.

“This sprinkling of assistance funding does not cut it. These children need an equity based funding model that addresses their identified educational needs.

“Instead, the government will use external markers, such as the educational qualifications of a child’s mother, to decide where they will put funding for identified students.

“This funding will equate to less than $100 per student and is funding that doesn’t go anywhere near a whole range of students with recognised special learning needs.

“New Zealand First is on the side of the thousands of parents and students who will not receive the academic support they deserve. The government needs to get its priorities straight.

“In 2009 it was National that decided to give tax cuts to the wealthy rather than invest in education, and students in this country have been disadvantaged ever since.

“As part of a broader approach, New Zealand First would start by widening the screening tools used to collect School Entry data and centrally collect this information so that equity funding is targeted to the students’ academic needs, not the arbitrary circumstances of their family,” says Mrs Martin.

ENDS

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