Editorial: Teachers, read it and weep

OPINION: Prime Minister John Key was uncharacteristically bellicose this week when he criticised teacher unions as "self interested" and of being party to "creeping political correctness".

That will make the unions harder to deal with, but a confrontation became inevitable. They were resisting his government's introduction of national standards in literacy and numeracy into New Zealand's year 1-8 schools, a programme Mr Key regards as essential to rectify a teaching failure that results in too many pupils leaving school unable to read or write.

National standards are intended to ensure that all parents can expect their school to regularly test their children against national benchmarks in reading, writing and maths. They will ensure all parents have this information reported to them in plain language and ensure all parents are properly informed about what is being done to support their child's progress.

It's a daunting challenge, but Mr Key is determined to do what Labour failed to do. That failure is recalled in an item in the Trans Tasman newsletter this week: it harks back to a pre-election business forum in 1999 when Labour leader Helen Clark railed against poor literacy and numeracy standards and said it was shocking that 20 per cent of our school leavers were functionally illiterate.

The failure figures remain much the same a decade on, despite the millions of dollars Labour poured into education. The education system – accordingly – needs changing.

A report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published this week said countries could make big economic gains by raising children's academic performance. Its modelling showed New Zealand stood to gain $474.7 billion by 2090 and Education Minister Anne Tolley said the report reinforced the case for introducing the national standards education policy. Another point in favour of the policy was made by Mr Key: we can't have an egalitarian society when the bottom 20 per cent can't read properly.

But the teacher unions are undermining the policy's implementation. This and the mounting political opposition prompted the Government to go on the front foot this week and launch a publicity campaign to bolster parental confidence in the policy. Mr Key at the same time reiterated his support for his Minister of Education, Anne Tolley, who has caucus support, too. Over the next few weeks, National MPs will be holding public meetings around the country to talk directly to parents about the policy.

The last-minute publicity campaign reflects badly on the Government's handling of this issue over recent months. The need to educate parents now, as the new school year begins and the new policy is being introduced, implies parents have been kept ignorant – if not confused – about what it will do and what it will achieve. That does not mean the policy is wrong.

- © Fairfax NZ News