13 November 2019

National has today released our sixth Discussion Document which will ensure children get a quality education and have the skills to succeed, Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges says.

“National believes all children in New Zealand should have options and opportunities. We want all children to go on to achieve great things. With the right education we can overcome the challenges some children face purely because of the circumstances they were born into.

“We will support teachers so they can spend more time actually teaching. Too often our teachers are burdened with too much bureaucracy, teachers should be focussing on face-to-face time with our children.

“We’re committed to smaller class sizes in primary schools and more teachers. More time with a teacher means more opportunities for children to ask questions and get answers, and for teachers to focus on areas where a child may be struggling.

“It’s important parents know how their children are progressing. National will ensure that we continue to improve school reporting systems including better access to online reporting for parents.

We’re also committing to:
• Strengthening teacher training
• Investing to ensure children with complex needs are supported
• Ensuring every child from year 1-8 has the opportunity to learn a second language
• Better management and investment in education infrastructure
• Restoring power and assets back to regional polytechnics and restoring industry training industry
• Ensuring we have a university in the top 50 university rankings by 2030
• Reinstating partnership schools

We are also proposing or asking for New Zealanders’ feedback on:
• Creating a parent, child, teacher progress record (Child Passport)
• How we can strengthen monitoring and evaluation of early childhood education services
• Exploring alternatives to first year Fees Free
• How we can improve our reporting systems for schools and parents

“Education is one of my top priorities. National in Government will ensure we are giving our children the skills and opportunities to succeed in life.

“This document is part of the biggest policy development process by an Opposition ever. National values education, we value the work our teachers do, and we want to ensure our children are supported. We’re doing the work now so we’re ready to hit the ground running in 2020.”

The discussion document can be found here.

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