30 Aug 2017

Know your policy: Education

From Election17 - Policy Comparisons, 8:55 am on 30 August 2017

Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen

Invest $45 million to revamp National Standards so children, parents and teachers can track their progress throughout the year in particular learning areas
Invest $160 million over four years to allow primary school students to learn a second language from a list of 10 'priority languages'
Lift achievement in schools though a $359 million initiative to improve teaching quality and school leadership.
Invest in building new schools and classrooms
$126 million over four years to improve student achievement in maths at primary school
Establish digital internships and digital academies for year 12 and 13 students
Provide more in-class support to special-needs students and more teacher-aide hours
Including digital learning and computer coding as part of the school curriculum

Invest an extra $4bn into the education portfolio over four years
Reinstate extra funding for early chidlhood centres that employ 100 percent qualified and registered teachers
Require all early childhood centres to employ at least 80 percent qualified teachers by the end of the first term in government
Ensure schooling is genuinely free by offering an extra $150 per student to state and state-integrated schools that don't ask parents for donations
Establish a comprehensive plan to ensure students have access to mobile digital devices
Abolish National Standards
Rebuild out-dated and worn-out school buildings by 2030

Children learning to get under the boot of technology with Mindlab Photo: Supplied

Progressively introduce three years of free post-school education, starting with one year from July 2018
Increase student allowance payments by $50 a week
Reinstate funding for programmes - like night classes - that support adult learners
Create a School Leavers' Toolkit to equip school leavers with vital life skills, including driver training
Restore post-graduate students' eligibility for the student allowance, and restore eligibility for loans and allowances beyond seven years to students enrolled in long courses such as medicine

Hold a commission of inquiry into the New Zealand education system
Remove National Standards
Ensure state schools are fully funded so they are not dependent upon fees, private donations or fundraising
Reduce class sizes and improve teacher-child ratios in early childhood services
Centrally fund all teacher and key support staff salaries and support pay parity for early childhood, primary and secondary educators
Support the continued improvement of the NCEA
Set standards and guidelines for healthy food provided in schools
Incorporate ecological sustainability into the core curriculum at all levels.
Introduce universal teaching of Te Reo Māori in all public schools

Develop a collaborative 30-year strategic plan for New Zealand education
End public funding for charter schools
Abolish National Standards in their current form and work with the sector on new assessment measures
Re-establish professional learning and development support for the quality delivery of the New Zealand curriculum
Increase support for programmes in the early years that involve parents directly in the education of their children
Urgently and immediately review the funding model for kindergartens
Make sure there is greater flexibility concerning successful pathways and positive outcomes for students after NCEA Level 1

Open more partnership schools and allow state and integrated schools to voluntarily apply for partnership school status
Increase the funding of independent schools by removing the funding cap and lifting the the per-student funding they receive to 50 percent of state school student funding

Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Make te reo Māori, Māori history and culture core curriculum subjects in all schools up to year 10
Provide all children with free early childhood, primary and secondary education
Increase the accommodation supplement by half for all tertiary students
Introduce a universal student allowance with cost of living adjustment to guarantee a livable income during study, for all tertiary students, including post-graduate students
Write off the living cost component of all student loans
Increase the numbers of tamariki attending kōhanga reo
Reduce class sizes in primary schools
Provide all children with free after-school care and holiday programmes
Introduce mental health counsellors in all high schools
Provide free public transport to primary, secondary and tertiary students
Increase overall funding for Māori medium education
Repeal the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Act 2011
Remove the cap on the number of allowable wānanga
Develop a four-year zero-fee ‘First in Whānau’ scholarship for bachelor-level study
Double the existing Māori and Pacific trade training and cadetships placements per annum for the next five years
Partner with iwi and employers to provide more scholarship and internship opportunities for whānau and to provide better connections for students to their tribal identity, culture and language
Reduce the repayment levels on a student loans

Photo: 123rf.com

Remove tuition fees for tertiary education in New Zealand
Abolish the student allowance and instead align the maximum living costs loan entitlement with the average rental price in the area a student is enrolled in
Establish an expected voluntary student loan repayment threshold for graduated students in work, with interest being added to the year if the threshold isn't met
Introduce compulsory civics education from years 1-13, including information about elections, and lower the voting age to 16
Review role of student representatives on school board of trustees to ensure meaningful participation

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