Maharey rejects teaching boys differently

Education Minister Steve Maharey has rejected a call for schools to teach boys differently from girls.

Figures show about 20 per cent more girls gained university entrance in 2005 than boys, igniting debate about the way boys are taught.

Waitaki Boys High School rector Paul Baker, who has researched the issue, this week told a conference on the issue that teaching and assessment were geared towards girls.

Government agencies were not addressing the problem and there should be a full review, he said.

But Mr Maharey today told a Post Primary Teachers Association conference that the Government had rejected treating boys as a separate group.

Most boys were doing well under the current system and it was better to cater to students' individual needs to help those who were struggling. "A one-size-fits-all approach isn't the answer to dealing with differences in achievement between boys and girls, any more than it's the answer to dealing with achievement gaps between ethnic groups," he said.

"We need to understand that most boys are doing well, while some boys are not and ensure extra help is reaching those who need it." The Government was already spending about $32 million a year on literacy programmes.

- NZPA