National to rewrite school curriculum

Bill English

The school curriculum is too complicated and should be stripped down and simplified, says the National Party.

The party's education spokesman, Bill English, today launches its school policy which is understood to promise a halt to further extensions to the curriculum.

"I want a smaller, clearer curriculum. I want to take the pressure off schools to be everything to everyone.

"I want teachers to be able to teach less, but teach better."

Mr English said an example of how over-blown the curriculum had become was the 57 "essential skills" primary school children were expected to master.

Mr English said this should be slimmed down, allowing teachers to spend less time filling out forms and more time teaching.

The party also plans a "plain language curriculum" so parents and students have a clearer idea of what is being taught.

"Education jargon hides mediocrity and fuzzy thinking. And it hides political agendas which would be unacceptable to parents if they were openly stated," Mr English said.

The policy, which is being announced during Mr English's address to the Auckland Primary Principals today, coincides with a new series of National billboards focusing on education.

Education has been an area where National has been able to make gains due to the Government's struggles with NCEA, the scholarship debacle earlier this year, and the problems at the Qualifications Authority which resulted in the resignation of chief executive Karen Van Rooyen.

National's school policy reiterates plans announced by leader Don Brash in April in his education policy speech.

That speech, which focused on reducing the power of education unions and slashing bureaucracy, raised the ire of the PPTA, which criticised National for trying to resurrect "failed policies" and described the initiatives as an attack on the integrity of the public education system.

Dr Brash also introduced the concept of "reading vouchers" to give students extra private tuition.

Today's launch will reiterate that National would bring back the controversial bulk funding of schools.

"Direct resourcing gives professional teachers the capacity to decide how to get the best results," Mr English said.

National's policy also promises to overhaul NCEA, restore subsidies for private schools and relax zoning laws.

National on education

* Literacy and numeracy standards
* Reading vouchers
* Overhaul of NCEA
* Relaxing of zoning laws
* Bulk fund schools
* Strip down and simplify curriculum