Illiteracy Part of Willing Legacy

Illiteracy Part of Willing Legacy

"Trevor Mallard's announcement of a major extension to literacy programmes for primary and secondary schools is nothing more than just another desperate PR job for which the taxpayer is once again being screwed," says Peter Osborne, Libertarianz Spokesman for Education Deregulation. "More of the same failed nonsense as before," is what he says disparagingly of the new 'programmes.'

Osborne says that people must surely realise that this new scheme will do no more to improve New Zealand's abysmal literacy levels than the past litany of failed schemes emanating from the same source. "Despite Mr Mallard's stupefying declaration that 'on average our literacy levels are excellent' anyone with a brain that functions knows that New Zealand literacy levels are a disgrace, and that the blame for this can be squarely aimed at our State-enforced factory schools."

Mr Osborne continues, "The Minister is proud to announce that he is scabbing $43 million annually off the taxpayer in order to keep our kids illiterate. While he's forcing his system on our children he's doing his darndest to shut out the competition. One only needs to ask any private education provider how bogged down in red tape they are and how constrained they are by an over-bearing and ineffectual curriculum."

He also observes, "The blame cannot be completely laid on Mr Mallard. Parents and teachers also must accept responsibility for this disaster. After all, they have for years willingly allowed the State to make their decisions for them as far as their children's education goes. What we are now seeing are things running their natural course and these will continue to run to their ultimate, devastating conclusion unless New Zealanders wake up and retrieve control over their own lives and those of their children.

Osborne concludes, "Libertarianz will put an end to this madness. We will close down the Ministry of Education and allow New Zealanders to keep their hard-earned cash to pay for whatever education they think fit. Competition in a free market will guarantee excellence and variety in the education sector. This will give parents a real choice in finding an education that they consider will suit their child. Mr Mallard and those of his ilk will be left to concentrate on their own children instead of interfering in those of everyone else."

ENDS

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