26 August 2015

National’s health and safety shambles puts school camps at risk

Reports that schools are considering scrapping student camps and tearing out playgrounds highlights just how badly National has managed its health and safety reforms, Labour’s Education spokesperson Chris Hipkins says.

“Schools have been left completely in the dark about the implications of the new law and that’s clearly leading to knee-jerk reactions and panic.

“No school would deliberately put a student at risk. They want to comply with the new law, and they want to keep providing kids with opportunities outside the classroom, but the Government’s failure to provide proactive advice and support is putting that all at risk.

“Learning outside the classroom is a vital part of schooling. We should be actively encouraging it, not scaring schools off.

“Every Kiwi has fond memories of school camps, field trips and days out. It would be a terrible waste if those opportunities disappeared because National was too incompetent to communicate with schools properly about the implications of new health and safety laws,” Chris Hipkins says.

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