What the parties say about education

Labour

Provide an extra 3000 teachers above roll growth by 2007, establish central records database to track school attendance, further reduce suspension rates, improve teachers' professional development, extending the early numeracy project 2001 to all year 1 to 3 students, more support for gifted students, accelerated student loan repayment system for teachers as alternative to Government contribution to superannuation.

National

Will introduce self-management for all secondary schools (optional for primary), combining operations, staffing property funding. Allow schools to opt out of national payroll system and develop site agreements, phase in funding for independent schools to 50 per cent of state entitlement, abolish zoning and let schools set zoning policy, postpone NCEA level 2 at 6th form and review NCEA, increase A & B bursary to $2000 and $1000.

Act

Will encourage competition, choice and high measurable standards, ensure regular monitoring of each child's performance, will give parent education funding entitlements to use in private or state sector, abolish zoning, allow other boards or private managers to take over management of poorly performing boards.

Greens

Will improve training and advisory service for teachers, require ERO to take a more positive approach and consider integrating the review function with a support function, improve teacher training, develop bilingualism, ensure the education system reflects a culture of permanent partnership grounded in the Treaty of Waitangi, oppose performance pay as a disincentive to working with difficult students.

New Zealand First

Will encourage increased Maori and Pacific participation in early childhood education develop Maori and Pacific Island language immersion programmes, raise levels of funding for decile 3 to 10 schools, reduce class sizes for lower decile schools in first three years, ensure all children are competent in English and one other language, foster national pride through schools.

Alliance

Will abolish public funding for private schools and use the savings to offset school fees, promote smaller junior class sizes in low decile schools, review the recruitment of overseas fee-paying students, increase teachers' salaries annually by the rate of inflation between negotiations, and fund second and third chance models of literacy and learning.

Progressive Coalition

Will pilot small classes of 15 for the first four years in most disadvantaged schools, keep teachers' salaries separate from operational funding, keep pay and workloads comparable to other developed countries, improve funding for out of school care programmes, support NCEA but begin review by end of this year with possibility of delay.

United Future

Will guarantee all pre-schoolers aged over 3 access to 15 hours per week early childhood education, ensure character-building lessons are incorporated into the curriculum, establish links between private sector and schools to support "character" education, increase A and B bursary.

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