BPW NZ Call
the Ministry of Education to Account



The New Zealand Federation of
Business and Professional Women (BPW NZ) calls upon the Minister of
Education to 
explain why she is trying to close Salisbury School when this will
 adversely affect
the future of girls and young school aged women with all forms of
disabilities.

“The Minister failed to close it through 
the legal process, so her Ministry is changing the rules, and setting up 
barriers
so the school’s resources and facilities are denied to some of New
 Zealand’s 
most vulnerable young women."

“Changing the rules by the Ministry to force closure is in effect, constructive closure and is unacceptable,” says Carolyn Savage,
 BPW
NZ President.


“The removal of Board members and
 staff from the primary selection/interviewing process has put the power
 into
 the hands of the Ministry of Education without there being an independent
 voice 
for these vulnerable young women and their parents.”

“Salisbury’s own solution, consolidating resources to have two independent and separate schools on the one site would ensure that both girls and boys could continue to be educated and cared for in environments best suited to their specialist requirements.”

“There appears to be a real lack
 of understanding about the education of vulnerable children with special
 needs, particularly the negative effect main-stream schools have had on young women in
 this 
group to date.”

“It is 
yet another step made by the Ministry to save costs in the first instance
 whilst
 not looking at the long term costs to society and these young women’s futures.”

“Vulnerable
 young women with special needs will be forced on to already high waiting lists
 or be forced to fit into main stream schools that are not set up to meet
their
 needs,” says Mrs Savage.

“The impact on the main-stream school system will be three-fold, these vulnerable young women who will not have the emotional skills, the children already attending the schools will have time diverted from them and the additional impact on teaching staff, says President Carolyn Savage.

“Education
is for all New Zealanders, so why is the Government stealing the rights of 
a 
portion of our society to make them fit in, or lose out, only so their
 selfish financial
 plans can be met?

ends