Education Minister Jan Tinetti revealed on Q&A this morning that Labour is completely in the dark about the standard of education the thousands of young people being home schooled are receiving, National’s Education spokesperson Erica Stanford says.

"There have been 13,306 applications granted for home schooling since 2017, however the Education Review Office has checked as few as 47.

"It is unbelievable that following the surge in applications during Covid nothing was done to ensure these students are receiving the education they deserve.

"It is one of the central responsibilities of the Government to ensure that every child is getting a quality education that sets them up for success and Labour continues to fall short.

“This in an indictment on a Minister who is clearly not up to the task and our most vulnerable young people are paying the price.

“It was also alarming to hear in the interview just parts of the refreshed NCEA Level 1, which is set to be rolled out next year, have been finalised.

“The roll out of the refreshed NCEA has been such a shambles the country’s largest high school, Rangitoto, has decided to opt out. National and the sector have been calling on Labour to halt the rollout.

“The Minister also conceded that Labour doesn’t know how Year 5 children are doing in maths across the country. New Zealand has plummeted internationally in maths, yet Labour doesn’t know how our kids are doing and how we can support them.

"In every direction, the education system is in crisis and Labour are completely unable to get our kids back on track.

"A National government will ensure every child learns the basics in reading, writing, maths and science to set them up for further education and life. We will also standardise assessment across schools so we can see how children across the country are performing and where more resources are needed.

“Under Labour, New Zealand children are going backwards. National will fix the economy to reduce the cost of living, lift incomes and afford the public services New Zealanders deserve.”

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