ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere Huata today congratulated Mount Albert Grammar School on its decision to become co-educational and said it was ridiculous that the school had to ask for the Minister's approval to make the change.

"The decision to change status is one for the school community to make. It is not a decision that should be left to the whim of a Government Minister.

"This type of 1950's bureaucratic red tape stifles the flexibility and innovation schools must have in order to improve the education of their students in Auckland and around the country.

"If the Minister is serious about encouraging the good work of schools like Mount Albert Grammar to meet the needs of their communities, he must put an end to this archaic practice.

"This is the kind of 'Wellington knows best' nonsense in the education system that we must leave behind in the 20th century," said Donna Awatere Huata.

ENDS

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