Education in 2020 focus of major seminar
The future of New Zealand’s education system has been a
hot issue in this year’s General Election campaign with
debate on secondary teacher salaries – but what will
education be like in 20 years?
That’s the question to be
posed at Victoria University on August 24 when some of New
Zealand’s leading educationalists gather for the 2002
Shallcrass Seminar.
Organised by the Jack Shallcrass
Education Trust, it has chosen 2022 – Mr Shallcrass’
centenary year – because it believes putting that vision
into practice can occur within our lifetimes. It is a time
when information technology and ‘virtual classrooms’ look
set to radically alter the way New Zealanders learn at
schools, and tertiary institutions.
Mr Shallcrass, a
teacher for more than 55 years, is one of New Zealand’s most
distinguished educationalists, receiving a CBE for his
services to education. He is a former Vice-Principal of the
Wellington Teachers’ College and Associate Professor of
Education at Victoria. He has chaired four ministerial
inquiries and written 12 books and more than 600
articles.
Mr Shallcrass believes it is vital to look
beyond the present and think about the future shape of New
Zealand’s education system.
“Unless we can raise our
expectations for ourselves, unless we can encourage human
talents and qualities to match our technology, unless we can
quicken our imaginations, unless we have some faith in us;
then we fail ourselves, our children and our future.”
The
seminar is to be opened by Victoria University Chancellor
Rosemary Barrington and will be addressed by five leading
educationalists. They are: Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith,
of the University of Auckland; Dugald Scott, Principal of
the Wellington College of Education; Rae Duff, Special
Adviser at the Wellington College of Education; Professor
Paul Callaghan, the Alan MacDiarmid Chair in Physical
Sciences at Victoria University; and Professor Helen May,
Head of the School of Education at Victoria.
The Jack
Shallcrass Education Trust was set up in 1988 to mark Mr
Shallcrass’ retirement from Victoria and the trustees make
grants to individuals and organisations to support
educational activities.
Media are invited to attend the
seminar and there will be photo opportunity at 4pm. The
venue is Lecture Theatre Two, Law School, Old Government
Buildings, Lambton Quay, Wellington, Saturday August 24,
10am-4.15pm.