NZ 'failing kids who struggle to learn'

DAVID ALEXANDER/The Press

FAILING OUR KIDS: A British expert has blasted New Zealand's education system - saying there is no screening system to pick up dyslexia, physical movement problems or attention deficit disorder among children.

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A British  education expert has criticised New Zealand's education system for failing learning-impaired children.

The Education Ministry has conceded that it lags behind some countries for dyslexia, as the learning difficulty was only officially recognised last year.

Professor David Reynolds said New Zealand had little or no screening system to pick up dyslexia, physical movement problems or attention deficit disorder among children, and lacked programmes and resources to address their special needs in schools.

Without parents lobbying decision-makers to do more, New Zealand was in danger of losing its economic competitiveness as thousands of children with learning problems slipped through the cracks, he said.

"Probably most countries are doing more than you. We assume that 10 to 12 per cent of the child population have some form of learning impairment.

"Keeping test scores up there in the top six to 10 [countries] will depend on doing more with kids in the medium or bottom.

"If you don't do it here, other countries who are trying hard with these children will simply pass you by."

New Zealand's brightest children are among the world's best academically, but a "tail" of up to 20 per cent of schoolchildren struggles with the basics.

Professor Reynolds has advised the British Government on national education strategies and visited New Zealand this week for an international education conference.

He said many developed countries, including Britain and Australia, were ahead of New Zealand in their research and resourcing of children with learning problems.

Though the New Zealand Government had now recognised dyslexia, more work was needed.

"Where is the screening system? Where is the information going into teachers' initial education, and where is the knowledge going into schools about which programmes have worth and which programmes don't?"

Speld is an organisation that supports children with learning disabilities.

President Jenny Tebbutt said children whose learning problems were not identified struggled at school and became frustrated.

"In the past they haven't been diagnosed easily."

Education Ministry spokesman Iain Butler said New Zealand was working hard to ensure anyone with learning difficulties received targeted help.

The ministry and the Dyslexia Foundation were investigating assessment tools to indicate reading and writing skills at a young age, reviewing literacy policies and improving the help given to children struggling with literacy.

The ministry had also produced an information pamphlet for teachers and parents.

- © Fairfax NZ News