Sue

Moroney

Education spokesperson
21 November 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT

Nat education policy unfunded, un-costed and reheated

National has today attempted to use its education policy launch to sell its unpopular asset sales policy, Labour’s Education spokesperson Sue Moroney says.

“This wasn’t a policy launch that had children’s access to education at the heart of it. I was a PR stunt to sell an incredibly unpopular asset sales policy. What a cynical way to use children,” Sue Moroney said.

“All of National’s promises in today’s education policy are based on guesses made by National about how much it can sell assets for.

“National actually has no idea how much money it could get for state owned assets in the current volatile economic market therefore it cannot possibly know whether it can afford the promises made in today’s announcement.

“The policy is totally lacking in substance.

“Parents reading today’s policy have no guarantees from National that fees for Early Childhood Education are not going to rocket up, as they have done over the last three years under Anne Tolley and John Key.

“Furthermore the school modernisation projects are likely to be done by private public partnerships, thereby privatising our state assets to spend money privatizing our schools.

“That makes no sense.

“Labour's policy is focused on modernising teaching and learning, rather than bricks and mortar. Labour's policy to invest in e-learning for low-decile schools has been praised by the independent NZ Institute as grappling with the real issues.

“National has no plans to improve the low levels of engagement we have with our older students in secondary schools.

“They are also confused about what we need in our teachers, saying they will test them for ‘disposition to teach’ but then go on to say they will get specialist staff teaching first and then work out if they're any good at the job.

“This isn’t an education policy that will benefit children and their education. It’s a policy that will benefit stock brokers and Australian banks. National should be ashamed,” Sue Moroney said.

ENDS

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