Christchurch teachers plan further protest action

29 November 2012
Immediate Release

Christchurch teachers plan further protest action

Representatives from more than 100 Christchurch schools have voted to hold a mass meeting after school next Wednesday to decide what further protest action to take over the Government’s radical education proposals.

Hundreds of teachers and support staff are expected to attend the meeting which has been sparked by the Government’s continued refusal to listen to the people of Christchurch and put children’s learning ahead of its own reform agenda.

NZEI National President Ian Leckie says any attempts by the Minister of Education and her Ministry to consult in recent weeks have been nothing but window-dressing.

“The Government has made no concessions over its unrealistic time-frame for consultation. This means schools and the wider community will have very little opportunity to have meaningful input into the process. It has now become a complete sham.

“How can the Minister justify the number of proposed closures and mergers and why have schools with healthy and growing rolls been earmarked for closure?

“How can Christchurch people have any confidence in the Ministry’s proposals when they’ve been based on wrong and poor quality information?”

Mr Leckie says the Government seems intent on using Christchurch children as the guinea pigs for radical education reform and this could well become the blueprint for what it would like to do throughout the rest of the country.

“We’re talking here about mega-sized schools, double bunking and charter schools. These are reforms which will not benefit children’s learning and it’s particularly unfair that Christchurch children are being treated in this way.”

The meeting will be held at Wednesday Dec 5 at 4 pm, Christchurch Riding for Disabled Indoor Arena, AMP Showgrounds, 61 Wigram Road,Christchurch

ENDS

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