Dialogue: Negligence, inaction sink hopes for better education

It is time to take short-term politicking out of our education system by establishing an independent policy council, writes PETER LYONS*.

The impasse between the Government and the secondary teachers' union shows why and how our primary and secondary education system is unlikely to meet the needs of a knowledge economy.

The PPTA's claim will do little to remedy the looming secondary teacher shortage or attract and retain bright young things.

And past and present Government intransigence in negotiations gives aspiring teachers a clear message on the status of education and educators.

The Government attitude reflects the unwillingness of most politicians to pay more than lip-service to the need for a high-quality state education system. A cynical observer might attribute this to the fact that politicians operate in three-year time horizons - or that few of our politicians' children attend lower-decile schools.

Unfortunately, the benefits of creating a truly high-quality education system, available to all children would not be apparent within an electoral cycle.

It would appear that neither party to this dispute is serious about implementing a long-term vision for improving the quality of state education.

The Government, as with previous governments, would like to be seen to be meeting its obligations to state education at the least possible cost. The PPTA wishes to maintain the status quo in terms of how teachers' salaries are funded, with salary levels still determined mainly by tenure and few, if any, incentives for teachers to aspire to excellence.

There is no independent mechanism to break this impasse. Every contract round results in industrial action which is disruptive to all parties involved.

These cyclical bouts of acrimonious game-playing - from both sides - send a sad message also to students about the value placed on education and educators. There must be a better way.

The recommendations of the 1988 Picot report, on which the Tomorrow's Schools changes were based, included the establishment of a politically independent education advisory body.

Brian Picot, the report's author, termed the Lange Administration's rejection of an independent education policy council his greatest regret with regards to the reforms.

Such a body could have acted as a circuit-breaker in contract disputes by providing non-partisan advice and guidance.

It could constantly monitor the recruitment and retention of quality teachers.

It could have given provide ongoing analysis and recommendations on all issues involving the state education sector (staffing, curriculum, assessment, professional development and so on). It could have given impetus for monitoring and implementing international best practices.

The key feature of this organisation would have been be its apolitical and non-bureaucratic nature. It was envisioned by the Picot taskforce as providing a council of wise men.

If such a proposition seems naive or unrealistic, we have a precedent in the political independence of the Reserve Bank in setting monetary policy under the 1989 Reserve Bank Act. Perhaps it is time to consider the partial removal of education from the political arena.

The benefits of quality education are long-term, yet many politicians' motivations tend to be based on a shorter-term horizon. The debate over assessment methods is a good example of educational issues being used as a political football and undermining the all-important credibility of the system.

In not addressing the need for better mechanisms to ensure high-quality teaching professionals are available to all our children, we are missing a tangible first step towards establishing an educationally focused society.

The economic prosperity and social cohesion of any country are clearly linked to quality educational investment, innovation and personnel. Reform fatigue is no excuse for maintaining an inadequate status quo. An education system must be dynamic rather than mired in political quagmires and historical hangovers.

The secondary teacher shortage is real, and will get worse. The PPTA has cried wolf in the past few years but now the reality is upon us. This is the first major teacher shortage since the introduction of competition into the schools market. Those schools at the bottom of the socio-economic heap will initially be hardest hit in the competition to attract quality staff..

Our schools will be staffed increasingly by immigrant teachers from countries with completely different learning environments and classroom cultures. At the risk of being politically incorrect, the results are likely to be catastrophic. The inequalities in educational opportunities that have manifested themselves in the past 15 years will continue to magnify.

A country as small as New Zealand cannot afford to carry a sizeable rump of poorly educated citizens because of political negligence and inaction.

* Peter Lyons is head of commerce at Marcellin College, Mt Albert.