The Real Apology that should come from Tinetti (and Hipkins)
Recently Minister of Education Jan (I have been a PRINCIPAL you know) Tinetti apologised to 119 people for being incompetent in the House.
When will she apologise for her deep incompetence and harm caused as New Zealand’s Minister of Education? Hipkin’s definitely owes a longer, wider, deeper apology but has clearly chosen to put his performance as Minister of Education on the “bonfire” and not look in the rear view mirror.
The two latest issues needing mea culpas:
- The Term 1 2023 attendance stats – while bouncing around a bit – still languish 13% below 2019 figures. Note: The do not include strike days which count as non-school days.
Term 1 Attendance 2019 – 2023
Term 1 2019: 72.8%
Term 1 2020: 50.5%
Term 1 2021: 66.8%
Term 1 2022: 46.1%
Term 1 2023: 59.5% - The latest Curriculum debacle under her watch has a Science curriculum being written that is – according to very high credibility people – devoid of Science.
“Science teachers are shocked that an advance version of the draft school science curriculum contains no mention of physics, chemistry or biology. The so-called “fast draft” said science would be taught through four contexts – the Earth system, biodiversity, food, energy and water, and infectious diseases. Teachers who had seen the document told RNZ they had grave concerns about it. It was embarrassing, and would lead to “appalling” declines in student achievement, they said. One said the focus on four specific topics was likely to leave pupils bored with science by the time they reached secondary school.”
I think I know what Tinetti is doing here. Because of the decline in our education system – accelerated to maximum velocity (“physics”) – over the last 6 years our State school students are struggling to compete at all internationally so – lets take our bat and ball and go home and play academic tiddlywinks instead.
Simply appalling and the apology/fix needs to come well before this “Science Curriculum” gets anywhere near students.
alwyn.poole@gmail.com
www.alwynpoole.substack.com
