Nanaia
MAHUTA
Education Spokesperson

22 August 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

Charter school kids put at risk

The Education Minister has effectively admitted that none of the significant recommendations designed to stop sex offenders working in schools will apply to charter schools, says Nanaia Mahuta, Labour’s Education Spokesperson.

“The major recommendations in yesterday’s Ministerial Inquiry related to registered teachers monitored by the Teachers Council.[i] But under National and Act’s plan, teachers in charter schools don’t have to be qualified or registered by the Council.

“Hekia Parata admitted in Parliament that means the significant recommendations won’t apply to charter schools. So where does that leave those kids studying at charter schools?

“Teachers are police vetted every three years when they have to re-register and that standard should apply across the board with no exceptions.

“Charter Schools will operate to a lesser standard and the Minister should consider how this will support those in the ‘tail of underachievement’ she claims she desperately wants to help. Instead of getting the best opportunities in education, they will get a second rate standard from the charter school model that only has one objective – profit instead of quality.’

“The Minister may now be calling charter schools by another name, but no amount of lipstick can hide the fact that National and Act’s education experiment is a mess,” says Nanaia Mahuta.

ENDS

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[i] Among the recommendations that won’t apply to charter schools are Part 2 Recommendation 3, Part 2 Recommendation 4 (which would apply to charter schools but has not been adopted) and Part 4 Recommendation 17e. Several other recommendations will also not apply.

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