Reduce inequality if you want to improve education

If the Government really wants to raise national standards of literacy and numeracy it needs to get serious about reducing socio-economic inequalities in our society, the Green Party said today.

“The biggest influence on how well kids do at school is their family background. Kids do better if their parents earn a good income, value education, and provide a home for their kids with books, newspapers, and space to study,” Green Party Education Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said.

“This Government can measure achievement all it wants, but if it wants to improve educational outcomes then it needs to address these root causes. Otherwise these flawed national standards will just reinforce failure and low self-confidence in low-income families.

“Worse, they could be used as an excuse to cut funding from schools in low income areas perceived to be ‘failing’ and further trap our most vulnerable kids into a downward cycle,” Ms Delahunty said.

Ms Delahunty said Maori and Pasifika families were likely to be worst affected by the standards, which could entrench existing disadvantage for these groups.

“The Maori Party were right to raise concerns about the national standards and I hope they continue to advocate for the interests of their vulnerable tamariki.

“We need as many voices as possible to speak up and ask why these standards are being rushed through without due consideration. I welcome the school bus tour launched by the New Zealand Educational Institute this morning that does just that.

“We all support improving educational achievement, because education is also the way out of poverty and a great pathway to closing the gap between rich and poor. But these national standards – rushed through, ill-considered, and inappropriate for our most vulnerable communities – will make things worse, not better,” Ms Delahunty said.