School Closures: Christchurch Next?

ACT New Zealand Education Spokesman Deborah Coddington today urged Christchurch principals, boards of trustees, teachers, parents and students to fight any attempts by the Labour Government to implement a round of network reviews in the area - a precursor to school closures.

"Education Ministry officials recently met with representatives from schools within the Christchurch area to discuss the schools' future structure. The Ministry has denied a review is imminent, but schools have reason to fear such an outcome," Miss Coddington said.

"Education Minister Trevor Mallard has shown an insatiable appetite for closing schools - he plans to close over 300 in the next seven years. Despite Education Ministry denials, a review of Christchurch schools appears inevitable.

"The Ministry is currently reviewing the future of 168 New Zealand schools. It begs the question: where are the remaining schools going to come from? A safe bet would be on Christchurch.

"Christchurch people should remain vigilant for Mr Mallard's creeping school closures. Communities must stand firm against this Labour Government's misguided culling of schools. If they don't, schools will simply vanish, never to return," Miss Coddington said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>