19 March 2007

Tomorrow's schools failing many students - Greens

The 1980s' Tomorrow's schools experiment is clearly failing many students and it is time for it to be reviewed, the Green Party says. Green Party Education Spokesperson Metiria Turei says while the Tomorrow's schools programme has provided greater community involvement in schools, it has failed in many other aspects.

"The devolution of significant management to volunteers has caused real problems for the schools and for the students.

"Schools are severely under-funded via both the operations grant and ring fenced funding.

"This has meant that children with greater needs, either learning needs or special needs, have fallen by the wayside, and has contributed to the long trail of under achievement identified in the report.

"The full responsibility for the educational aspects and management of schools must be better shared between the Ministry, the community and the schools themselves.

"The Ministry has been too hands off in their approach leaving school communities without support. This can only lead to Boards of Trustee's making wrong decisions, for lack of proper information and support. The Government does have to take responsibility for this.

"It is timely now to pull back from the radical position of leaving schools solely in the hands of the community and enable a better partnership between schools, communities and the Government," Mrs Turei says.

ENDS

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