Chris Hipkins
MP for Rimutaka
Education Spokesperson
14 December 2016

Shady charter school changes made today

The Government has announced a major move to expand the charter schools’ model that will have huge ramifications for parents with children attending state schools, says Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins.

“In a cynically timed move on the last day of Parliament to avoid proper scrutiny, Hekia Parata and David Seymour announced the charter schools model will be extended beyond targeting priority learners.

“The idea that these schools were introduced to help priority learners was always a weak façade for the policy’s true intention that has now been exposed.

“Charter schools are nothing more than the wholesale privatisation of our world class education system.

“To say they’re about improving our kids’ education or offering more choice for parents ignores the vast evidence about the schools both domestically and internationally.

“Just last week it was revealed that charter schools NCEA results were massively overstated, something the Government has apparently glossed over when deciding whether to expand the model.

“Parents of children at state schools should be worried; not only has this government frozen their schools’ funding next year, but now more funding that should be going to state schools will be diverted to charter schools who receive more than four times the funding of other schools.

“Announcing big changes on this day looks like they’re scared of being up front about their true intentions with charter schools,” says Chris Hipkins.

ends

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