Teachers and supporters will rally in Masterton on Saturday as part of a nationwide protest against planned Government education reforms that "undermine New Zealand's quality public education system", says Wairarapa teacher union leader Beryl Thomson.
Mrs Thomson said the rally, which will run from 11am in the Masterton Library Squarein Queen St on Saturday, aims to highlight "the extent of the deep concern in the community over policies that will be very damaging for children's education".
The Masterton rally will mirror similar gatherings in towns and cities the length of the country on Saturday that are being organised by NZEI Te Riu Roa members, who together represent 50,000 New Zealand education workers.
"Our Government is intent on following education policies that have seen student achievement drop, not grow, in other countries. The Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) agenda of introducing competition, charter schools, privatisation, standardised learning, performance pay and school league tables is an unsuccessful experiment," Mrs Thomson said.
"It creates winner and loser schools, blames and shames teachers and communities and forces children into 'one-size-fits-all' learning," she said.
"Already in New Zealand, we've seen the rushed and flawed implementation of National Standards, the botched implementation of Novopay, the hasty mergers and closures of schools in Christchurch, the imposition of league tables and the introduction of charter schools that don't have to employ qualified teachers.
"It's time instead to focus on quality teaching, building trust and collegiality between schools and policy makers and supporting every child to learn in the way that best suits them."
Mrs Thomson said the Government seemed to have ignored the expertise of education professionals regarding the support and improvement of the New Zealand public education system.
"It is vital for the future of our children that New Zealand has a strong, vibrant, well-resourced public education system that invests in all children."
