Minister Gets it Wrong for Learning Support

Minister Gets it Wrong for Learning Support

Today's announcement that the Government will target voluntary Communities of Learning (CoL)as the vehicle through which to deliver learning support to vulnerable young people has been rejected by the President of the New Zealand Principals' Federation (NZPF), Whetu Cormick as the completely wrong way to go.

'The whole concept of CoL is based on membership remaining voluntary,' he said. 'To suggest delivering important learning support services only to CoL is way off the mark at best and discriminatory at worst. It denies those young people in need, whose schools are not in a CoL, from having access to the learning support they need,' he said.

'What the Minister is proposing is not solutions for the teachers of young people with severe behaviour disorders,' he said. 'This is another layer of bureaucracy for CoL.

'We don't need more CoL coordinators, we need urgent learning and behaviour experts in classrooms to support teachers with their young people suffering from ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, alcohol fetal syndrome and serious behaviour and learning issues as a result of being born of methamphetamine addicts,' said Cormick.

ENDS

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