Budget doesn't deliver the transformational change needed

Wellbeing Budget doesn't deliver the transformational change needed in education
30 May 2019

The Wellbeing Budget doesn’t deliver the transformational change required to address the crisis in education, NZEI Te Riu Roa says.

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart says that she welcomes the announcement of extra funding for decile 1-7 schools that stop collecting donations and the previously announced funding for 600 learning support coordinators in schools. But elsewhere the budget has failed to address the chronic under-funding of education we’ve seen over the last decade.

“$150 per student for decile 1-7 schools that stop collecting donations is a very welcome step and will relieve some pressure on families and schools budgets. But outside of that, school operations grants and early childhood education are simply seeing increases that keep up with inflation and population growth. This isn’t the transformational change we need to address the crisis in education.”

“Our members had a clear set of priorities they wanted to see addressed in this budget. They wanted to see a pay jolt for teachers, increased funding for early childhood education, more support for children with additional learning needs, a more substantial increase in school operational funding, and smaller class sizes.”

“The Education Minister has been telling us to expect to be disappointed – and he wasn’t wrong. This goes beyond the current situation with primary teachers and principals – this budget largely disappoints across the board for education,” she says.

“A society’s wellbeing depends on a well-funded education system. We understand the government has numerous competing problems to solve and we welcome the increased investment in social spending, but we need to see increased investment in our education system too.”

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