(Updated 02/10/23) Vote Education 2023 - What’s on the cards for education in the 2023 elections?
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| Possible actual photo that inspired many of this year's policies |
As we barrel along towards the 2023 General Election and as educators dig deep to find the energy to give a damn about anything beyond surviving the end of Term Three and desperately hoping to enjoy a sickness-free break and some much-needed sunshine, it is important we find a way to engage with what’s on the horizon for education this election cycle.
If like me you are thinking that education is all but missing in action (beyond a few clickbait-worthy headlines) this election season you wouldn’t be wrong. Clearly “cost of living” and “getting tough on crime” are the issues de jour this time around. It is disappointing to see the resolute lack of vision for education across the board this year. Our two major players seem to be vying for first place by serving up shades of beige and different versions of “back to basics” ideology with little more than financial literacy, literacy, numeracy and truancy on the menu with a bit of banning cellphones dished up for dessert on the right-hand side.
Our minor parties are consistent in that their education policies are little more than educative expressions of their respective visions and principles. NZ First has to win some sort of prize for not even bothering to craft any policies, but rather, defaulting to shouting "anti-woke" nonsense instead with their promise to “restore education and stop indoctrination by removing gender ideology from the curriculum, especially from primary school.” Such as shame, as we all know how much schools love a good bit of indoctrination. Heaven forbid, schools become safe inclusive spaces for all.
I have to say I am dumbfounded at the lack of vision and the lack of aspiration we seem to have for education. Is it just me or did 5-10 years ago seem like some sort of future-focused fever dream where we talked about equity, inclusion, developing the skills and competencies we need for an increasingly complex world and the need to close the digital divide to work toward a more equitable and flexible model of schooling? And where has the focus on wellbeing gone? Where is the aspiration for schools to be a place that nurtures young New Zealanders who might tackle the wicked problems our world is facing? Have any of these parties even read any international 'Future of Education' reports? If they have, they are not apparent in any of the policies or priorities I see below. The closest we come to a digital strategy appears to be banning cell phones. I am actually embarrassed for our country.
When did our politicians become afraid of having a vision and a strategy that actually moved beyond “going back to basics” and voter-baiting headlines that all present little more than simplistic solutions to complex or non-existent problems? Does no one “have a dream” for our young people? Does no one care about us creating a world-leading education system that wants to deliver inclusive, innovative, sticky, flexible and relevant learning that will equip our young people to be the future builders (and problem solvers) we so desperately need? There is no question that the basics are important, but we don’t need to look back or go back, we need to be bold, brave, and commit to doing things differently and moving onward and upward.
In the coming weeks, I am keen to put together my policy wishlist. If you have any suggestions please add them in the comment section below.
In the meantime if any politicians or policy writers happen to read this. Here are a few pieces of recommended reading to pull you out of the past:
From the OECD: https://www.oecd.org/education/future-of-education-brochure.pdf
From UNESCO: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379707
From the OECD: https://www.oecd.org/education/ceri/Brochure-Four-OECD-Scenarios-for-the-Future-of-Schooling.pdf
From Microsoft: https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/Microsoft-EducationReimagined-Paper.pdf
From Google: https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_nz/future-of-education/
Below is a summary of what each party is promising to do for education. I did the trawling, so you don’t have to…. (feel free to let me know if I have missed anything, and I will update as more announcements are made). Everything below is taken directly from the respective party websites as of 21 September 2023.
I warn you now, that it is an underwhelming read, however, if you care about education, please read, debate, share and vote as strategically as possible.
From March 2024, a re-elected Labour government will:
- Extend 20 hours free Early Childhood Education to 40,000 two-year-olds saving these families up to $130 a week.
- Increase the subsidies for ECE centres to ease the pressure on fees.
Labour will work towards the recommendations of the Ministerial Advisory Group on staffing and reduce staff-student ratios, starting with reducing the ratio in Years 4-8 from 29 students per teacher to 28 students per teacher by 2025. We will also develop a long-term plan for staffing and resourcing of schools to keep up with changing needs and the modernisation of best practice.
Maths and Literacy
- Provide at least two million hours of free catch-up maths and literacy tutoring support for secondary students focussing on the regions most affected by COVID lockdowns, the North Island Weather Events, and other disruptions to learning over the past three years, and including targeted programmes specifically designed for Māori and Pacific students.
- Develop and deliver programmes to support students to accelerate their progress in reading and maths, especially over Years 2-6.
- Continue to roll out and encourage the uptake of the Better Start Literacy Programme for new entrants’ students.
- Provide a maths and literacy training fund to upskill and support primary and intermediate teachers to implement the new maths and literacy curriculum and lift the quality of maths and literacy teaching.
- Roll out Core Teaching Requirements in maths and literacy to guarantee foundational teaching and learning in these subjects.
A re-elected Labour Government will:
- Increase attendance rates through funding the attendance service and attendance officers in schools.
- Labour will improve the collection and reporting of attendance data to drive better intervention for Disengagement.
A re-elected Labour Government will:
- Develop a comprehensive school leadership strategy so school principals and those aspiring for school leadership roles are well supported and prepared.
- Work to improve the staffing management formulas used for the allocation of management support and professional development opportunities for school leaders.
- Work to increase the number of leadership advisors as we continue to progress the reform of Tomorrow’s Schools, prioritising areas with a high number of principals within their first five years or where retention is an issue.
- Consider updating and expanding the Kahui Ako models to focus on shared responsibility for all students within the cluster and empower experienced principals to lead their clusters including by
- working with the sector to lift the moratorium on schools joining;
- aligning the expansion of leadership advisors with clusters;
- involving principals in the recruitment process of others in the cluster; and
- implementing the outcomes of the staffing Ministerial Advisory Group through the refreshed Kahui Ako model.
- Review the funding of universities.
- Restore the requirement for university councils to have two remunerated student members and ensure students have a strong collective voice in the decisions made by tertiary institutions so that providers are responsive to learning needs and improve the quality of education.
- Improve transition support for neurodiverse students moving between secondary schooling and tertiary education, for example by increasing neurodiversity understanding among secondary and tertiary staff through professional development and seeking improvements in the systems students use.
- Make the Apprenticeship Boost Initiative permanent to provide both apprentices and employers certainty of a secure pathway into trades and training under a Labour Government. This ensures a strong pipeline of skilled workers for key industries.
- Work with Regional Skills Leadership Groups to identify and support better ways to meet future skills and workforce needs in their regions, both now and in the future.
- Create a statutory right for workers to access vocational education, and the resources for both the training and the release from work to attend, to support a Just Transition as well as the new structures created through the Reform of Vocational Education.
- Remove the youth and training rates that penalise young people who also need to survive, thrive, and become productive members of the workforce.
- Improve the Ministry of Social Development’s employment services so they are more accessible and provide one-on-one support for those struggling to get into employment, training, or re-establish careers disrupted by technological change and or medical injury.
- Work to improve and expand health and education voluntary bonding schemes, as part of a wider review and redesign of the programmes across Government. Adult and Community Education, sometimes called night classes, has a long, proud history in New Zealand in providing opportunities for ‘second chance’ education, personal development, learning new skills, recreation and building social and community cohesion. In Budget 2020, we reversed National’s cuts with an initial boost to revitalise night classes.
Young people will leave school knowing how to do a budget, open a bank account, manage bills and invest their money as part of Labour’s new financial skills in schools programme. Making sure young New Zealanders leave school knowing how to manage their finances is too important to be left to chance. Labour’s plan is about teaching Kiwi kids practical financial skills that they will use for life. Evidence tells us the current approach means too many students leave school without the financial skills they need. Over the last six years, Labour has been growing financial teaching capability within New Zealand schools – including by making it a core part of the School Leaver’s Toolkit. But more needs to be done.
We’re taking the next step in our work to create an education system that gives every young New Zealander the best chance to succeed. A re-elected Labour government will require financial literacy to be taught at all levels in all schools by 2025.
What will students learn?
All young people will leave school with a core knowledge of:
- saving and investing
- budgeting and financial management
- setting financial goals and planning ahead
- banking
- borrowing, credit and debt
- Kiwisaver and insurance
- income and taxes
- consumer rights, and
- identifying and managing risk.
National Party
Teaching the Basics Brilliantly
Our education system is failing too many children. National will make sure schools are teaching the basics brilliantly, so every child has the opportunity to succeed.
Our plan will ensure kids have the foundation they need in reading, writing, maths and science to set them up for success.
Under National, parents will know if their kids are doing well or, more importantly, if they’re falling behind. It’s not acceptable to allow children to fall further and further behind without anyone noticing or taking action to help them catch up.
National will set every child in New Zealand up for success and restore excellence to the heart of the education system.
National’s plan for Teaching the Basics Brilliantly
An hour each on reading, writing and maths every day
Minimum requirements for what schools must teach every year in reading, writing, maths and science
Regular standardised assessment and clear reporting to parents
Better training and more tools to support teachers
Policy highlights
National will turn our education system around and make sure every child has the opportunity to master the basics and set themselves up for success.
National will introduce minimum class time for the basics, along with clear minimum requirements for the reading, writing, maths and science content children must be taught in each year of school.
Regular assessment and crystal-clear reporting will ensure parents know how their child is progressing, where they might need help, and where they can be extended.
We’ll make training on reading, writing, maths and science a requirement for new and existing teachers to ensure they have the confidence and skills to teach the basics brilliantly.
And we’ll provide teachers with high-quality resources like lesson plans to free them up to focus on teaching, not just planning.
National will
Require an hour of maths and two hours of reading and writing on average each day in primary and intermediate schools.
Rewrite the curriculum to outline the knowledge and skills that primary and intermediate schools must cover each year in reading, writing, maths and science.
Require standardised, robust assessment of student progress in reading, writing and maths at least twice a year every year from Year 3 to Year 8, with clear reporting to parents.
Introduce an exit exam for primary and intermediate teaching graduates to demonstrate expertise in reading, writing, maths and science instruction, and require existing teachers to undertake professional development in teaching the basics.
Develop a free online resource bank with lesson plans and materials aligned with the new curriculum to reduce teacher workload.
National’s Literacy Guarantee
Teach every child to read using structured literacy by making it a requirement at primary school.
Introduce short phonics checks for year two students to inform parents and teachers about each child’s reading progress.
Provide structured literacy intervention for learners who need extra support.
Ensure teachers get training on how to use the structured literacy approach.
Read more about National’s Literacy Guarantee
National’s Literacy Guarantee
Teach every child to read using structured literacy by making it a requirement at primary school.
Introduce short phonics checks for Year 2 students to inform parents and teachers about each child’s reading progress.
Provide structured literacy intervention for learners who need extra support. 4. Ensure teachers get training on how to use the structured literacy approach.
National’s Literacy Guarantee builds on our plan to lift achievement and restore excellence in our education system, called Teaching the Basics Brilliantly, which includes:
An hour each of reading, writing and maths every day.
Minimum requirements in the curriculum for what schools must teach every year in reading, writing, maths and science.
Regular standardised assessment and clear reporting to parents. • Better training and more tools to support teachers.
National will ban cell phone use at school
National will ban cell phone use at school to help lift achievement and support every child to make the most out of their education.
Schools will be able to decide exactly how they enforce it, but it could mean requiring students to hand in their phones before school or leave them in their lockers or bags.
Source:https://www.national.org.nz/cell_phone_use_at_school
Green Party
Vision
All children and young people develop their skills and talents and learn how to use them for good in the world.
Values and Principles
Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood, primary and secondary education system must be consistent with the following values and principles:
Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi: Education should share the stories of our past and help us ground a sense of national identity in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Māori should have control of and tino rangatiratanga over their education and have the right to contribute to the education of all New Zealanders, as through the mechanisms of Matike Mai.
Ecological Wisdom: Education should nurture respectful relationships with the natural world and a sense of responsibility and reciprocity, including the protection of the taiao in line with tikanga Māori.
Social Responsibility: Education should foster lifelong learning for all New Zealanders and nurture learners' dispositions and skills, to enable them to lead lives filled with hope, joy and satisfaction. It should meet the diverse needs of individuals as well as the needs of the whole community.
Appropriate Decision-Making: Education should encourage and support people to take responsibility for their own learning and for helping others learn effectively.
Non-Violence: Education should uphold children and young people’s rights, celebrate diversity, and build skills for peaceful conflict resolution and cooperation.
Contribution: Education should develop the skills needed to fully participate in society and to contribute innovatively and creatively to the work of creating a healthy and sustainable society.
Strategic Priorities
The Green Party’s strategic goals include:
“...inclusive education will be available to all.”
Actions in this policy that will help achieve this include:
Trial alternative models of school governance that improve inclusivity and self-determination in education. (1.14)
Provide advice and support on implementing the breadth of the National Curriculum in local contexts. (1.1)
Resource the universal teaching of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori in all public schools. (4.11)
End classroom streaming or grouping by perceived ability, recognising this exacerbates inequality and is not supported by evidence for improved learning outcomes. (6.10)
Ensure that all schools and early childhood services have policies, practices, resources and programmes to create a whole school culture that is inclusive, and supports the identification and elimination of prejudice, racism, bullying, intimidation, and violence. (9.1)
Establish a unit within the Ministry of Education designed to support schools, and the education system in general, to listen and respond to the voices of children. (10.3)
Act Party
Building the Foundations for Education Success
Almost every aspect of a person’s adult life will be defined by the education they receive as a child. An education crisis today will turn into a crime crisis, a vulnerable children crisis, an economic crisis and an inequality crisis tomorrow.
ACT will:
Develop a traffic light system for unjustified absences, which will be publicly available in real-time.
Redirect funding from centrally controlled truancy services so schools can fund or purchase services directly.
Extend the B4 School Check to include education progress as well as health. ECE providers that fail to contribute to child development may risk losing their funding or license.
Set minimum criteria that any curriculum taught in New Zealand primary schools must follow, but allow for multiple curriculum versions.
Ensure all schools participate in standardised testing.
Develop an online league table, like Australia’s ‘My School’, to help parents understand how their school is performing compared with other schools.
Refuse to lower the bar for literacy and numeracy standards. ACT will conduct another set of mock exams in 2024 to gauge progress on higher literacy and numeracy standards and commit to enforcing higher standards from 2025.
Abolish University Entrance as a separate qualification and replace NCEA level three requirements with the current University Entrance requirements.
Ensure employers’ and tertiary institutions’ input is included in the development of achievement and unit standards.
Reforming Failing Schools
Improving schools that fail is one of the most important things we can do to give children better lives. ACT has a plan to reform schools that fail, including allowing successful schools to take them over to give more children access to an excellent education.
ACT will:
Use information on school attendance and educational progress to prioritise ERO school inspections.
Ensure ERO’s school evaluation reports are consistent and based on clear, objective, and relevant criteria.
Improve the Ministry of Education’s slow and ineffective approach to managing under-performance by enforcing a clear and structured intervention process for identifying and intervening in under-performing schools.
Replace the current practice of appointing a limited statutory manager or commissioner to a struggling school. A tendering process would enable existing school operators to apply to take over schools that fail. Applications would consider the school operator’s track record of success. Where there is more than one school operator interested in the takeover, the Ministry would be responsible for selecting the best candidate based on who would best serve the school community.
Evaluate the outcomes of school interventions, as persistent failure is likely to indicate system-wide weaknesses in the education system.
Guaranteeing the Freedom to Learn
We have some of the highest-performing schools and students in the world, but we also have a long tail of underachievement in disadvantaged communities. Our education system is a slow moving disaster. ACT has a plan for a world-class education system.
Teaching Excellence Reward Fund
ACT will establish a $250 million a year Teaching Excellence Reward Fund to reward excellence in the classroom, encourage professional development, and deliver better educational outcomes.
Solutions to the Truancy Crisis
Almost every aspect of a person’s adult life will be defined by the education they receive as a child. If we want better social outcomes, we can’t keep ignoring the truancy crisis.
Solutions such as:
Daily national attendance reporting
Empowering schools to deal with truancy
Traffic light system
An infringement notice regime for parents
Accountability for schools through mandatory reporting
Source: https://www.act.org.nz/education
Te Pāti Māori
Our education system is continuing to fail far too many Māori students. Kaupapa Māori education is under-resourced, undervalued and remains marginalised in the education system. The Pākehā mainstream education system is broken and institutionally racist, despite the good work of many.
Fundamental change is required to ensure that tamariki and rangatahi Māori can fulfil their potential.
The Māori Party vision for education is to ensure that all tamariki are supported to thrive and be themselves and receive high-quality education that sets them on the pathway to achieve their dreams, regardless of where they go to school. No one can realise their aspirations unless they know who they are, where they come from, and are proud of their culture and heritage.
Our policy is centred around three pou; resourcing and valuing kaupapa Māori education, overhauling the Pākehā mainstream system and creating pathways for school leavers.
The Māori Party will:
Resource and value kaupapa Māori education
Ensure all Māori medium education is funded equal to its mainstream equivalents through equity-based funding models
Establish a $200m fund to drive whānau, hapū and iwi education and training initiatives including the establishment of new hapū-based wānanga
Implement the Te Kōhanga Reo settlement claim (WAI 2336) including by significantly increase operational funding for kōhanga, recognising kaiako qualifications, and guaranteeing pay equity.
Increase and promote scholarships available for young Māori to train as teachers of Te Aho Matua and for reo Māori speakers to train as teachers
Overhaul the mainstream education system
Require a minimum of 25% of the education budget be directed to Māori models of delivery and pastoral care
Ensure that te reo Māori and Māori history are core curriculum subjects in primary up to Year 10 at secondary schools
Establish an independent Māori Standards Authority to oversee Māori language funding and audit providers to ensure they meet cultural and reo Māori competency standards
Fund free digital devices and free internet for all children from Yr4 – Yr13
Remove the power of schools to expel any student younger than the school leaving age of 16
Require that all schools have Māori in their staff senior leadership teams
Fund schools to hire additional Māori support staff who are well-paid and centrally funded
Establish a Māori-led taskforce with the mandate to transform how Māori students with disabilities and learning differences are taught and supported
Ensure that Māori staff are hired, and existing Māori staff paid extra, to lead cultural programmes such as kapa haka, taiaha, raranga and running school-based marae
Create pathways for school leavers
Establish a $276m fund to ramp up the work of STEM and STEAM academies, such as the Pūhoro STEM Academy
Double the existing Māori and Pacific trade training and cadetships placements per annum
Permanently remove fees from apprenticeships
Source: https://www.maoriparty.org.nz/education_training
New Zealand First
New Zealand First is going to restore education and stop indoctrination by removing gender ideology from the curriculum, especially from primary school.
Source: https://www.nzfirst.nz/2023_commitments
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