Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Increased funding for ESL Learners

Increased funding for English as second language learners

The Government has increased ESOL funding for teaching children whose first language is not English by $6.6m over the next four years.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard told Parliament that the increase in funding would provide more help for more children over a longer period of time.

"Language is a severe barrier to many young children accessing the curriculum. This is a particular challenge for refugees who are landed in a new country with limited resources," Trevor Mallard said.

"Currently, there is not enough money to provide the level of support needed by quota and non-quota refugees. More children will be assisted and that support will last five years – not stop at three, as is currently the case. This will ensure students continue to progress in achieving satisfactory educational outcomes.

"Until this decision was made persons who join families under reunification were not eligible for this support. It created a real anomaly where people who had the same level of need, possibly even more because of the years they spent in camps, were given no assistance to learn the language in their new country.

"Improving the English language skills of these young people not only benefits them and their families, it benefits other children in the classroom. This extra funding, which includes money for the appointment of refugee education coordinators, means teacher time is freed up to focus back on the needs of the class as a whole.

"In addition, funding like this helps us build a socially cohesive society. It will reduce education disparity and help children get the knowledge and skills they need to obtain employment and contribute positively to New Zealand's economy and society. That means it is of benefit to us all," Trevor Mallard said.

Ends

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Smokefree Laws Debacle

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice... More


 
 
Public Housing Futures: Christmas Comes Early For Landlords

New CTU analysis of the National & ACT coalition agreement has shown the cost of returning interest deductibility to landlords is an extra $900M on top of National’s original proposal. This is because it is going to be implemented earlier and faster, including retrospective rebates from April 2023. More


Green Party: Petition To Save Oil & Gas Ban

“The new Government’s plan to expand oil and gas exploration is as dangerous as it is unscientific. Whatever you think about the new government, there is simply no mandate to trash the climate. We need to come together to stop them,” says James Shaw. More

PSA: MFAT Must Reverse Decision To Remove Te Reo

MFAT's decision to remove te reo from correspondence before new Ministers are sworn in risks undermining the important progress the public sector has made in honouring te Tiriti. "We are very disappointed in what is a backward decision - it simply seems to be a Ministry bowing to the racist rhetoric we heard on the election campaign trail," says Marcia Puru. More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.