When you are the least powerful school...

30 September 2009
Media Release:

When you are the least powerful school in your community...

The Minister of Education has announced that Aorangi School in Christchurch will close. Neither the high level of community support, nor the need to save the bilingual unit, the only one of its kind in the North West of Christchurch, has saved the school.

QPEC chair Liz Gordon notes that October 1st marks twenty years since Tomorrow’s School was set up, which instituted open slather competition between schools for students. Schools like Aoraki, serving lower income and ethnically diverse communities beside much higher decile and wealthier communities, have been under threat from day one of the new system.

Many have closed. Schools like Surrey Park in Invercargill, a large school and highly successful, was a victim a decade ago to the tendency for wealthier schools to absorb the poorer. There are many others.

This would not matter, except that the education of low income, Māori, Pacific and immigrant communities has not improved. There are much bigger educational gaps then there were a decade ago. The education of the powerless has suffered.

“Aoraki School has demonstrated time and again that it serves its community effectively”, said Liz Gordon. “I understand that at yesterday’s meeting with the Minister, she raised ‘educational concerns’ as yet another reason to close the school, when that had never been stated as a reason through the consultation process. She makes it up as she goes along”.

“Let us be clear. Aoraki School offers a wonderful bi-lingual education to Māori families living in the North West, in the state housing area that John Key once called home. Aoraki School has bent over backwards to support the new migrant community in the same area, and has won the loyalty and support of that community.

“It is absolutely clear that the school has now lost its struggle to remain open, subject to final appeals, because its catchment is not rich enough, nor white enough, nor able to speak out enough, to be saved.

Dr. Gordon said that the families and children who passionately support the school have learned that their hopes and prayers count for nothing. “How can we expect them to grow up as good citizens, when they have learned that they are worth less?”

ends

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