Education
Let failing schools close or be taken over by better performing schools. End the discrimination against rural schools Remove restrictive barriers to opening new schools so parents & teachers can cooperate to open new and innovative schools Rather than abolishing national testing, a better idea would have been to expand it, commencing at a much earlier age so as to identify problems and performance issues early on before it is too late All students should have equal access to tertiary education regardless of race, and should be given equal support by the Government whether they choose to study at a private or public institution Abolish zoning and allow parents to take their child's share of state funding to a school of their choice - public or private
Increase the Operations Grant by 10% Implement measures to provide maximum class sizes no greater than 20 through a reduction in pupil to teacher ratios for primary, intermediate and secondary schools to improve delivery of quality education for all children Encourage partnerships between high and low-decile schools for their mutual benefit Support schools as 'community learning centres' that offer learning opportunities for learners of all ages Incorporate environmental education into the core curriculum from pre-school to secondary level.
No further interest will be charged for those with student loans who reside in New Zealand Provide funding for an additional 5,000 Modern Apprenticeship places, taking the total number of Modern Apprentices to 14,000 in 2008 Allow up to twenty per cent of Modern Apprentices in any industry to be above the current age limit of 21 Develop solutions to address the additional time requirement of school-based assessment including special consideration for small, isolated schools Explore the possibility of establishing a structured cadetship programme as an alternative to institutional training for those entering associate professional roles
Set clear national standards in reading, writing, and maths [pdf] Pilot a school-based apprenticeship scheme like the one run in Australia; fund select schools to run 'Trades Academies' Provide a universal education entitlement for all 16- and 17- olds. This will allow them to access, free of charge, educational study towards school-level qualifications at approved institutions Keep interest-free student loans for tertiary students, and introduce incentives for people to repay their student loans and get out of debt sooner
Implement policies which will increase participation rates and quality provision of early childhood education Develop a comprehensive package of parent support and guidance programmes Increase the amount of discretionary funding available to decile 3-10 schools by flattening the distribution curve Undertake a review of teachers' workload and minimise bureaucratic requirements Strengthen and improve education provisions in all sectors for rural areas
The three agencies concerned with educational quality, the NZQA, ERO, and the Teachers’ Council should be merged into a new Educational Standards Authority Ensure that all assessment tasks provided by NZQA have been pre-moderated Review the current zoning arrangements to ensure right of access to local schools without limiting access to other schools Establish ‘families’ of schools in an effort to improve coordination between pre-school, primary and secondary schools in a given area Establishing a national student database to track children's attendance in school