Funding boost for gifted education announced

New Zealand's top students may have a better chance to reach their full potential with a funding boost from the Government for gifted education initiatives.

Prime Minister Helen Clark announced yesterday that 21 groups from around New Zealand will share the funding pool, which has also been boosted $200,000 every year to increase the total annual amount available to $1.4 million.

Speaking at the official opening of the Gifted Children's Unit at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara, Auckland, Helen Clark said such initiatives would help "add to our knowledge of what works in gifted education".

"The Government's gifted education policy recognises that there is no 'one size fits all' model -- what we need are many approaches to help us meet the needs of all our gifted students," she said.

For that reason, this year's recipients represented a "range" of schools and groups.

Successful recipients include the Gifted Children's Advancement Charitable Trust (which established the unit at Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate), the New Zealand Chemistry Olympiad Trust, and individual colleges around the country.

- NZPA