3 September 2019

Government must halt Learning Support allocation

The Government must halt the Learning Support Coordinator (LSC) roll out upon news that the New Zealand Education Initiative (NZEI) has deemed it flawed and unworkable, National’s spokesperson for Education Nikki Kaye says.

“News that NZEI principals are consulting their members on requesting the Government to halt the roll out of Learning Support Coordinators is not surprising.

“I’ve been inundated with principals and schools claiming the roll out is inequitable.

“The Government has not been transparent as to how they allocated the LSC’s. Some allocations have been based on the Learning Support Model but it’s clear that this isn’t the full story behind the distribution.

“Proactively released documents show the Ministry indicated it would be difficult to fill rolls in certain parts of New Zealand due to teacher supply.

“The Associate Education Minister’s response to this concern was to suggest a possible reallocation of LSC roles so that other areas could get more LSC’s. This is a shambolic process.

“The Prime Minister and Tracey Martin announced these coordinators nine months ago but have failed to get the sector on board.

“In addition to the allocation concerns, there is a concern by some that the roll out will be too focussed on administration and not deliver enough front line support.

“The Government needs to listen to the sector who are arguing for the Minister to go back to the drawing board on this flawed policy.

“Children with complex needs are depending on the Minister to get it right.”

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