Our Children Deserve Better: Principals Sound Alarm

The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) has sounded the alarm on Government curriculum changes that are threatening to undermine the teaching of maths and literacy across the country’s schools. 

"New Zealand’s children deserve the best education we can offer and we will not make changes that are based on misinformation, inaccurate data analysis, crisis creation, and rushed decision making," said Leanne Otene, President of NZPF. 

"The Government has broken the trust of the sector and the public has been misinformed," she said. "Our teachers and principals are experts in understanding the unique needs of their students and as self-managing schools, follow the strategic plans set each year in partnership with their communities. They are best placed to make decisions about how to deliver all curriculum subjects including literacy and maths," said Otene. 

"Since the announcement that most of our children in Year 8 are failing maths, parents have been calling schools to check out what is going on," said Otene. 

"Most schools are reporting a very different picture from that painted by the Government," she said.

The 2022 OECD PISA results reports that 71% of New Zealand students attained at least level 2 proficiency in mathematics, which is higher than the average across the OECD countries. 

"The information being used to justify radical changes to the maths curriculum is based on misinformation," she said. Since the announcement, Otene has held urgent meetings with regional principal groups from Invercargill to Northland, and held a special online meeting to capture the reaction of all the principals and their parent communities. 

"The regions speak as one voice on this issue," said Otene. "All schools are constantly looking for improvements and report that they want the Government to work with us and restore their integrity by apologising for misleading the public," she said. 

"What is needed more than anything is a significant increase in the resourcing for students with learning and behaviour needs. Principals know that there will be no improvements in achievement until this is addressed," said Otene. 

"We all want the same thing as the Minister and that is to empower teachers and leaders to focus on what truly matters: student wellbeing and achievement," she said.

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