The Government is taking the next step in strengthening New Zealand’s education system with the Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill passing its first reading today.
“We are focused on delivering a high-performing, responsive education system that sets all students up for success. Significant progress has already been made on establishing a knowledge-rich curriculum, lifting attendance, enhancing teacher training, strengthening learning support, and improving school property delivery. This Bill will ensure that system-level settings are aligned to effectively deliver these priorities,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
“A key part of this bill will raise the quality of initial teacher education (ITE). For years, principals, teachers, the Education Review Office (ERO), and more recently the TALIS report have raised concerns about the quality and consistency of initial teacher education. This needs to change so our teachers are better equipped in the classroom.”
The function of setting standards for ITE programmes and for teacher registration will move from the Teaching Council to a new standard-setting function within the Ministry of Education.
“We are also placing the teacher registration standards within this Ministry-based function because of their critical role in driving quality in ITE. When registration standards are clear, rigorous, and aligned with what we expect new graduates to do, universities and ITE providers must design their programmes to ensure graduates can meet those expectations. The registration standards are an essential lever for strengthening the quality and consistency of initial teacher education.
“This will help deliver better outcomes in the classroom for our young people,” Ms Stanford says.
Other proposals in the bill include:
- Establish the New Zealand School Property Agency as a new Crown agent with a primary focus on maintaining and building school property.
- With the introduction of a new age-appropriate, detailed and clear health curriculum (which includes Relationships and Sex Education), replace the requirement for community consultation with a requirement for schools to inform parents about RSE and how it will be taught. Parents will continue to have the right to opt their children out.
- Strengthen school curriculum settings, including requiring regular rolling curriculum reviews.
- Transfer regulatory functions for private schools and school boarding hostels from the Ministry to ERO.
- Strengthen the education system’s response when ERO identifies a school of ‘serious concern.’
- Update school attendance exemption processes to improve clarity and compliance.
- Require schools to participate in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to help inform investment and focus to ensure best possible outcomes for students.
- Allow NZQA to recognise and record micro-credentials, ensuring completeness of students’ Record of Achievement.
- Make improvements to the charter school model to support school choice and innovation.
“When the Government takes education seriously, so do parents, students, and schools,” Mr Seymour says.
“School attendance matters for the future of this country, and we are fixing it. The Bill tightens provisions for attendance exemptions for students. Principals will no longer have the power to determine whether absence is justified or unjustified.
“The Secretary of Education will set the standards and rules for principals to apply to absences. The new rules will be set once the Bill passes its third reading. What I can say is that inconvenience will no longer justify absence.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in ways which are more specific to their needs. The Bill will allow sponsors to meet student demand and hold a single contract for multiple charter school campuses. Charter schools are changing lives. Geography should not preclude children and families from having more education options. The Bill will also increase the length of charter school contracts to 20 years to provide more certainty.”