Today, education, and National's plan to destroy it in the name of an ideology that revolves around dollars.
Others have waxed more lyrically than I can, Cr Guyton expresses his disgust here, so I won't go for a front-on attack. Rather, I'll ask, has anyone else spotted the inconsistency?
Here on National's website is the announcement today from Hekia Parata. In this announcement she says:
A post-graduate qualification will be introduced as a minimum for all trainee teachers, and schools leadership will be improved through the introduction of a new pre-principalship qualification.Part of National's rationale is to improve the quality of teaching. So this sounds like a good step.
But hang on a second, wasn't there an announcement that affects tertiary study, just a few days ago? Steven Joyce said something about student allowances. Here it is, reported by Stuff.
- Allowances for any study over four years cancelled.My partner did a DipTeach/B.Ed. It took four years. Requiring a post-graduate qualification would require a student loan. Teaching is not a profession that people choose if they are motivated mostly by money, and adding an extra financial burden, as National have just done, is ludicrous. Now I'm past the swearing stage, I'm laughing. In contempt.
The Gordons - The Gordons, 1981
Will contemptuous laughter help? It'll lighten your mood, perhaps, but will it bring the Government down?
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to link this great post to The Standard's post on education, with a quote from you, as I've done on my own blog.
You can have all the qualifications in the world but it doesn't necessarily mean that your qualitiy of teaching improves. My experience of highly 'degreed' teachers both in the teaching profession and at university suggests it is often not the case. Get real National your policies just make no sense at all. Why are we changing something so drastically that is working pretty well. They seem to hate anything that means Kiwis can improve themselves. Urrrrrh....
ReplyDeleteThanks Robert, I've not had a close look at The Standard today, a quick browse gave the impression that it was a bit of a dull day. Appreciated if you would make a link, I could use the traffic. Please publish the post you wrote on this subject. I gather the content is across the comments on a post on your blog (the one with almost 40 comments), your understanding of the issues is much greater than mine.
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, thanks for your comment and welcome to Every Tiny Straw (I'd expected to see sooner).