Charter school delays show need to scrap experiment

Immediate Release

9 September 2013

Charter school delays show need for experiment to be scrapped

Further embarrassing delays around the Government’s charter school timetable show that the scheme has run into problems.

The Government had planned to announce successful applicants in May saying this would allow time for the new ventures to be ready for the start of the 2014 school year.

But the announcement has once again been put back to the end of this month – four months late.

NZEI Te Riu Roa National Secretary Paul Goulter says these delays support earlier reports revealing that the Ministry of Education had major concerns about the calibre of the applications.

“It is quite clear now that there is a problem, not only the process, but also the quality of applicants. This is yet another reason why the whole costly and dangerous experiment needs to be scrapped.

“The Act party-inspired charter school experiment will continue to be an embarrassment for John Key’s Government. And instead of wasting any more taxpayer money, the Government should pull the plug now.”

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