Newshub’s Education “Debate”
This morning on Newshub Nation Rebecca Wright hosted National education Spokesperson Erica Stanford and current Minister of Education Jan Tinetti.
As education is my passion and life-work I rarely feel more disappointed when a “leader” in the field resorts to presenting false information or avoiding data/facts. That is exactly what Tinetti did. Growing right up from her NZEI roots.
I know the NZ High School data set better than most because I do the sector wide data process for LEAVERS every year (can send it to you on request). Labour try to say things were in decline before that came to be in office and try to blame National Standards. If teachers having to do a few assessments could see their teaching/learning decline so badly – clearly they were on shaky ground in the first place.
The data clearly shows some fluctuations and then Labour – in the last six years – led by Hipkins and Tinetti driving our system off a cliff. This is especially true for Maori, Pasifika and low decile children – those they claim to stand for – and to the great shame of the Labour Maori caucus.
Tinetti tried to close today’s debate by saying things had turned around. There is ABSOLUTELY NO evidence for that and she is hiding the Term 2 attendance data until November.
Here is this morning’s dabate.
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wN-16ywAduY?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
Tinetti kept saying that their approach is evidence based and informed by experts. Two examples show that to be nonsense:
1) They largely ignored the brilliant report on Maths teaching and learning by the Royal Society.
2) They built their latest attendance approach based on a Select Committee “investigation” that 8/2600 schools submitted to.
Here is some data for the decline just from 2021 – 2022. It is shameful.
In 2022: 15% of School Leavers did not have NCEA L1 = 12,086 students (rate up 2.8% on 2021) left school without L1
In 2022: 27% of Maori School Leavers did not have NCEA L1 = 3,237 Maori students (rate up 3.6% on 2021) left school without L1.
In 2022: 19.9% of Pasifika School Leavers did not have NCEA L1 = 1,333 Pasifika students (rate up 5.3% on 2021) left school without L1.
In 2022 25% of Leavers had no NCEA L2. So approx 10% of school leavers have L1 but not L2.
In 2022 41.4% of Maori left without L2.
In 2022 32.2% of Pasifika left without L2.
This is the attendance report from Term 1 of this year through the Ministry:
https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/221541/Term-1-2023-Attendance-Report.pdf
Key points:
– there had been a significant improvement on T1 2022 overall 46.1% to 59.5% but in 2019 it was 72.8% of students attending 90% of the time.
– Maori (44.9%) and Pasifika (47.8%) lag well behind European (62.8%) and Asian (70.6%)
– Tai Tokerau and Hawkes Bay, Tarawhiti are the worst regions historically and both were under 50%.
When the Education and Workforce Select Committee (Labour led) had an investigation into the attendance crises last year only 8 schools (out of 2,600 submitted and the SC chose not to go into schools to find reasons for good or poor attendance). Their final report shows that they have no evidence that school lunches have improved attendance. Their recommendations contained nothing about school quality, teacher quality, aspiration, high quality curriculum – the worth of attending school. https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/2/5e1472a2-cfbc-4e15-9f8d-9787cb26f357
Please keep in mind:
Figures released under the Official Information Act to Newstalk ZB show nearly 10,000 5 to 13-year-olds were not enrolled in the official school system as of 2022 – a significant jump from slightly more than 6300 reported in the year before.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/primary-school-aged-children-not-engaged-in-formal-education/LXPIOZCJ5JAJFDIFBN6MG557KY/#:~:text=Figures%20released%20under%20the%20Official,reported%20in%20the%20year%20before.
When these children are added in the actual attendance rates are lowered even further.
I understand that the Term 2 data for 2023 has been processed but the Ministry is sticking to its pre-ordained release date of after the election in November. There is no reason for term 2 data to take longer as there is no extra processing. I also understand the attendance rates have decreased again. I would think Minister Tinetti could confirm that.
This is the worst state I have seen our education system to be in and – as Cameron Bagrie notes – to see our society in 20 years time we need to look at our education system today.
There are bright spots but we ignore them and double-down on practices and processes that clearly are not working.
Alwyn Poole (alwyn.poole@gmail.com)
Innovative Education Consultants
Cambridge Festival of Sport
www.innovativeeducation.co.nz
www.cambridgefestivalofsport.co.nz
www.linkedin.com/in/alwyn-poole-16b02151/