Dipping in to kitty can't save face

“The Government’s admission that it is dipping in to a $20m contingency fund to cover-up its bungled teacher-pupil ratio plan clearly shows it hasn’t done its homework, Labour’s Education spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta says.

“The Minister has suddenly gone to great pains to point out that 10 per cent of schools will be more affected by the proposal than the government ‘is prepared to accept’.

“Yet until the sector got wind of it, the government was prepared to accept it.

“A quick fix - to ‘soften the edges’ - now means schools will lose no more than two full-time teacher equivalents over the next three years. It doesn’t mean there won’t be teachers losing jobs,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

“If the Minister was so concerned about the real impact of her new student-teacher ratios, why didn’t she discuss it with officials when the modelling was being done before Budget 2012 announcements?

“Clearly the Minister did not do her homework; she was led by the nose by Treasury then dutifully followed by her education officials.

“Parents throughout the country are appalled at National’s blind pursuit of bigger classes and fewer teachers. The government is treating our kids - and their teachers - like mere widgets where cost saving advantages over-ride investment in a quality public education.

“We must engage all learners on the education highway where effective teaching, class size, a broad curriculum, evidenced-based solutions, diverse learning settings and ‘what happens outside of the school gate’ can make a real difference.

“Dipping in to a kitty to save face is not the action of a government with a proper and thoroughly thought-out education plan,” said Nanaia Mahuta.