No Public Demand For Private Charter Schools

No Public Demand For Private Charter Schools

The latest Government announcement calling for expressions of interest in running Charter schools has met with a barrage of criticism from several quarters. The President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) Philip Harding is dismayed at the haste with which the Government is trying to push through the latest private school model.

‘No one is calling for Charter schools,’ said Harding. ‘I don’t hear parents out there lobbying Government for Charter schools, the professional educators aren’t calling for them and the academics who have critiqued Charter schools’ performance overseas give them the thumbs down,’ he said.

‘I am concerned that we have yet another reform in front of us which, like increasing class sizes, has not been properly thought through and does not emanate from any sound evidence base for improving the education of Kiwi Kids,’ he said.

‘It is not the time to start rushing through another unnecessary, unsupported and unwanted educational reform,’ said Harding. ‘Let’s first get the Novopay shambles sorted then we can sanely explore ways to address the Government’s goal to improve learning outcomes for our struggling kids. Let’s not leap headlong into Charter schools which could well prove to be a disaster every bit as bad as increasing class sizes or Novopay itself,’ he said.

ENDS

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