Katherine Rich
National Party Education Spokeswoman

19 December 2006

Schools’ operational funding review a waste of time

National’s Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich, believes she won’t be the only one disappointed with reports released today on schools’ operational funding.

“Schools and parents up and down the country will be disappointed with the reports by the Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office.

“They tell us nothing that we didn’t know already: schools are struggling and parents are fundraising like crazy.

“The Labour Government commissioned this review as a way of relieving mounting political pressure from schools and parents to do something about operational funding.

“All the Minister had to do was sit down for 10 minutes with any principal to get a more insightful result. At the cost of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, a year long review was a waste of time.

“Most believed the review would be a catalyst for change, so there will be considerable disappointment that the reports state little more than the obvious, and provide scant insight.

“Releasing the report today is cynically timed so that most principals, teachers and parents, as well as the media, are thinking about Christmas and not the financial pressures of running a school.

“Labour can claim success in one area though – increasing school compliance costs, which the Ministry of Education report confirms is one of the main reasons schools are finding it increasingly more difficult to function.”

ENDS

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