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Kiwi children will benefit from ECE plan
Kiwi children will benefit from ECE
plan
5 April 2018
Our
youngest Kiwis will benefit from a completely fresh look at
the Early Childhood Education sector.
The Minister of Education today announced an Early Learning Strategic plan that aims to improve quality in the sector.
A strategic plan is long overdue and it is 16 years since the last one, says NZEI Te Riu Roa National Executive member and kindergarten teacher Virginia Oakly.
“The Minister has listened to teachers about our concerns in ECE and has responded relatively quickly, but what is most important here is that kids will benefit from improvements that come out of this work.
“Our members have been really active in this for some time, and have raised issues about ECE quality including child-to-teacher ratios, under-funding and the need for 100 percent qualified staff, and also not having enough teachers coming into, and staying in, the sector.”
NZEI Te Riu Roa has two representatives on the advisory group to the Minister.
“This is really important, that we are there at the table and telling the Ministry what it is like on the ground.”
A draft strategic plan will go out to the sector for consultation in September 2018.
Home-based care, which is one of the
fastest growing areas of ECE, is being looked at separately
and has its own terms of
reference.
ENDS
NZEI Te Riu Roa
New Zealand Educational Institute
NZEI Te Riu Roa members work in every community in New Zealand, leading and advocating for quality public education.
We are the 50,000 principals, teachers and support staff who work in primary, area and secondary schools as well as early childhood centres, special education and school advisory services. We come together as NZEI Te Riu Roa - New Zealand's largest education union, a Treaty based organisation and a powerful advocate for quality public education.
We have the most important job in New Zealand - educating for the future.
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