Design Group meets on new education initiative

Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed the first meeting of the working group that will recommend the best design detail for the four new teacher and principal roles, announced by the Prime Minister at the beginning of the year.

The new roles will provide better career pathways, recognise the highest quality of teaching and leadership, and raise the quality of learning and student achievement for all our children and young people.

“We want to recognise highly-capable teachers and principals, keep good teachers in the classroom, and share expertise across schools"' Ms Parata says.

“By focusing on leadership and the quality of teaching, we’re targeting the two factors we know make the biggest in-school difference to lifting students' educational achievement.

“We’re also responding to what the profession has told us it needs, and what the best performing countries are doing", Ms Parata says.

Ms Parata asked the Secretary for Education, Peter Hughes, to convene the group of education sector representatives following the announcement last month of a further $359 million to boost the profession and help lift educational achievement.

Ms Parata says she’s extremely pleased that all the groups have accepted her invitation to work together to provide input into the design details of the $359 million investment.

“It’s vital in the next step of this very significant initiative that we draw on the expertise of the profession and unions to help shape the detail of the design. We must get a shift and lift in the system as we cannot keep doing all the same things, if we want a different result - better educational outcomes for all young New Zealanders", Ms Parata says.

“I’m delighted all these groups are working together with the Ministry of Education to progress this significant initiative in the interests of the profession and our kids.

“There’s a very real and shared commitment to work hard to get this right. We all know it’s critically important in helping lift educational achievement for 5 out of 5 of our kids.”

Ms Parata says the group will meet regularly and focus on getting the design right, so that planning for implementation in 2015 can get underway in a timely period.

The working group members are:

New Zealand School Trustees’ Association
New Zealand Educational Institute
Post Primary Teachers’ Association
Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa
New Zealand Principals’ Federation
Secondary Principals’ Association
New Zealand Area Schools’ Association
New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schooling
Ngā Kura a Iwi o Aotearoa
Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa o Aotearoa
Pasifika Principals’ Association

ends

© Scoop Media