Opinion: $7 million Ministry of Education investment into Rotorua schools welcomed

Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter. Photo / Stephen Parker

It's fabulous to see money being invested into upgrading Rotorua schools.

A story in yesterday's paper revealed the Ministry of Education plans to invest more than $7 million into building projects at Rotorua schools over the next two to three years.

One such project is a multi-million dollar science facility at Rotorua Boys' High School.

The hub is expected to cost about $4 million and pegs the start of plans to do a "complete overhaul" of the school.

Rotorua families are lucky to have so many schools, brimming with passionate educators, to choose from.

But many schools in the area have had to make do with decades-old prefabricated buildings that were never meant to be permanent, but have yet to be replaced.

I certainly don't think flash buildings are essential to providing quality education, but it definitely doesn't hurt.

When schools create spaces children want to be in and feel inspired by, their test results reflect that.

When I was at primary school, the standard set-up of a classroom was rows of wooden desks, with a whiteboard at the front and the teacher's desk tucked in a dark corner at the back.

Now, many schools have classrooms with various learning spaces - standing desks, window nooks, work stations - spaces to cater to all learning needs.

Some schools have been able to do this without changing their buildings, but where that's not possible, it is great there's room for the Ministry of Education to support new structure builds.

Obviously the Government can't dish out millions for every school to get a makeover, but it is encouraging to see local schools getting a slice of the pie.

As Boys' High principal Chris Grinter said, his school would become a highly modernised environment if his plan comes to fruition - "It's a plan for the future".