The union for primary teachers, NZEI Te Riu Roa, says it’s risky for politicians to be mandating a single approach to
the art of teaching reading.
The Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, has announced that as of Term 1 2025, all teachers in state schools will be
required to teach reading using the structured literacy method.
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter says that while structured literacy has its uses, it is not a silver bullet for
teaching children to read.
"There is recent evidence for structured literacy working for many children, but the research also shows that
personalising and differentiating learning to meet the diversity of children we have in our classrooms is the key art
teachers bring to their work.
“Teaching is an art and a craft, not just a science. A teacher knows what teaching approach will work best for the
variety of learners in their classroom. Mandating a one-size-fits-all to curriculum does not work.
“We don’t expect politicians to tell doctors exactly what to prescribe for every patient, and politicians reaching into
every classroom and telling every teacher how to teach every child undermines the professionalism of teachers.”