Govt asked to consider modified education vouchers

The Government is considering a modified version of the education voucher scheme for the worst and best performing students.

A working group of MPs from National, ACT and the Maori Party has asked that parents of the 20 per cent worst performing and five per cent best performing students be given greater choice about how and where the child is educated and taking their Government funding with them.

The group was set up under ACT and National's supply and confidence agreement and chaired by ACT deputy leader Heather Roy.

The report lays out various options that could be considered where a student identified as low or high achieving could use a "learning broker mentor" to help form a learning plan.

This could mean using resources within the school, bringing outside help in to the school or going to another school or provider.

A first payment of money could follow the child and if results were achieved a second payment would be made.

The working group called on the Government to set up a taskforce to work out the details of how the policy might work.

Mrs Roy said there would be not an increase in costs.

"The assumption is that any change is going to cost more money, it might not necessarily. At the moment a certain amount of money is allocated for each primary school child and a slightly higher amount for each secondary school child, but parents very often have little choice as to where they can go and the money is given to the school," Mrs Roy said.

"If the money was given to the parents or the ability to spend that Government allocation was given to the parent to decide I think you would find very quickly parents would seek out the opportunities they wanted."

Previous National governments have looked at education vouchers but faced strong opposition from many in the sector as they feared money would be siphoned out of the public education system, or away from poorer schools.

Mrs Roy disliked the use of the word vouchers though she said new education providers could emerge and the children and their associated money could travel to them or existing private or public schools.

"In essence we are providing choice, we are not talking about vouchers here, we are talking about providing choice."

Mrs Roy said any changes in schools would not happen quickly but overtime as the education sector became more innovative.

"If the initiative is successful the Inter-Party Working Group would like to see this extended to the remaining 75 per cent of students to create an improved and effective education system in New Zealand," Mrs Roy said.

Education Minister Anne Tolley took a cautious approach to the suggested policy

"I'd like to thank the members of the Inter-Party Working Group for their efforts. I will be considering the report, and have asked the Ministry to provide advice on it," Mrs Tolley said.

ACT also released a much larger minority report which called for much greater freedom and choice for parents and children in the education sector.

Primary education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa President Frances Nelson said the Government should ignore the ideologically-driven report which was a "convoluted mish-mash of ideas".

"This would simply be a voucher system in disguise, driven by political ideology rather than what is best for children's learning," Ms Nelson said.

- NZPA