NZEI Te Riu Roa welcomes direction of school system reforms

12 November 2019

NZEI Te Riu Roa has welcomed the direction of the Tomorrow's Schools reforms announced today.

President Lynda Stuart said it was great to see that the Treaty of Waitangi and the rights of the child were underpinning the changes.

"What we've seen today provides hope, and focuses on greater support for school leaders and teachers to meet the needs of our students, while still empowering local Boards of Trustees," she said.

Ms Stuart said it was particularly encouraging to see the report's acknowledgement (Recommendation 3f) that teacher aides and cultural experts were undervalued in our schooling system and had precarious employment.

"We agree that changes need to be made as a priority to ensure that these essential staff are appropriately remunerated and developed to continue supporting our students' success," she said.

"We're looking forward to genuine engagement and a high-trust relationship with the Government as we work together on the details of change and implementation. The direction of the reforms is good - how we get there together will be key to their success, along with the necessary resourcing," she said.

Ms Stuart said the wider sector was also eagerly awaiting the release of the Early Learning Strategic Plan as it would be of paramount importance to see alignment of our education system for the learners who transition through it.

ENDS

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