Panel to advise on national standards

Education Minister Anne Tolley. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

Education Minister Anne Tolley has announced she will establish a national standards sector advisory group.

The initiative, which will give the education sector a formal avenue to air concerns about national standards, has been welcomed by some principals.

But national sector leaders are reserving judgment.

Mrs Tolley told the Otago Daily Times yesterday that the move was in response to growing unrest among principals and teachers over implementing the standards.

"It's in response to the conversations I've had with principals and teachers. They are getting on with implementing national standards, but there's been this disquiet around it.

"It just seemed to me that there was a real desire from these people to be involved."

Mrs Tolley and the National Party have said that 20 per cent of primary and intermediate pupils are underachieving.

National standards were flagged by the party in the 2008 election campaign and designed to address the statistic.

Primary and intermediate schools throughout the country began implementing the standards in February.

However, there have been consistent expressions of concern about the standards from boards of trustees, principals and teachers.

Mrs Tolley said the establishment of the advisory group was in recognition of the role the education sector had to play in the implementation of national standards during the next three years.

The group would consist of representatives of organisations such as the NZ Educational Institute union, the School Trustees Association and the Principals' Federation.

Places would be reserved for four practitioners who do not represent any groups.

Mrs Tolley hoped the group could meet within the next six weeks.

NZEI president Frances Nelson said the sector had been calling for engagement in discussions with the ministry for the past two years.

While she welcomed the establishment of the group, she was sceptical about its objectives.

"It is absolutely imperative that the discussions start with what is wrong with the standards and whether or not they can be fixed.

"And until we get a clear sense as to whether or not they can be fixed and/or made workable, the minister should stop schools from implementing them and reporting on them."

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES