New school curriculum launched

The Government has unveiled a new draft curriculum for schools in which the learning of second languages is a key area.

Education Minister Steve Maharey today said schools were one of the main places students learned to become members of their community and society.

"It is therefore important that we are clear about the values we want to see in our schools and through our society."

Those values were excellence, innovation, diversity, respect, equity, integrity, community and care for the environment.

The new document is more streamlined than the seven-volume curriculum written in 1993.

The Government is intending to introduce it in September next year. Final amendments will be made to the draft after three months of consultation ending in November.

Mr Maharey said the draft curriculum outlined for primary and secondary schools the Government's expectations of what children should be able to achieve by the time they leave school.

The eight main learning areas in the proposed curriculum are:
* English
* mathematics and statistics
* science
* social sciences
* technology
* the arts
* health and physical education
* languages

About 80,000 copies of the curriculum were being sent out to schools today.

- NZPA