Christchurch education plan driven by ideology

Further evidence Christchurch education plan driven by ideology

Census figures showing that more than half the communities in Christchurch facing school closures have grown in population is further evidence that the government’s plans are based on ideology, not what’s best for children and communities.

NZEI National President Judith Nowotarski says the government has clearly rushed its flawed plans for Christchurch education.

“This once again points to what we have been saying all along – that Christchurch children are being used as guinea pigs for a radical shift in education.

“Decisions on things like supersized schools – putting years 1-13 on one campus - along with the excessive number of mergers and closures have been made for political and ideological reasons rather than educational ones.

“It’s clearly something the government would like to roll out in other parts of the country

“NZEI, along with many other organisations, has asked the government on numerous occasions to support the current needs of Christchurch children and to slow down the changes.

“Instead, this radical overhaul is being pushed through before any heed is taken of the population trends or the real needs of Christchurch children and their families.

“Once again we ask the government to stop using Christchurch as an experiment and to go back and start the consultation process again, and this time do it properly, based on the needs of Christchurch children and their families, not on an ideological experiment.”

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