Government plans to abolish bulk funding and re-introduce school zoning have come under fire from one of New Zealand's largest youth groups, who describe it as "another backward-looking, ideological campaign to return education power to the state."

Clint Heine, President of Prebble's Rebels, said "this legislation is another example of the Labour/Alliance minority government turning back the clock to days gone by. Schools should be dynamic, creative places, able to adapt to meet the changing needs of today's society, instead of being concreted to a state-controlled set of dictates."

"The Minister of Education admits that Bulk Funding has helped schools, and that increased flexibility has benefitted our children. This is another ideological measure which will directly hurt, not just our educational institutions, but the next generation of New Zealanders."

"The re-introduction of zoning shackles children to poorly performing schools simply because they live in that school's neighbourhood. This will only perpetuate the problems of underperformance that plague our education system."

"Together these measures are a disaster for our education system. Forcing schools back into a centralised funding system, while reintroducing controls over who can attend which school, doesn't address the real issue of children leaving school unable to read and write. How can a government that is stacked with teachers possibly get it so wrong?" Mr Heine asked.

ENDS
For more information, contact:
Clint Heine (+64) (021) 122 8544
president@rebels.org.nz

Prebble's Rebels - http://www.rebels.org.nz

© Scoop Media