Media Release
PPTA calls for politics-free education

22 August, 2011

PPTA president Robin Duff is calling on New Zealand politicians to focus on a cross-party approach to education decision making and wants to end policy founded in political point scoring.

“We’re seeing too much of an election-cycle approach to managing our public education system; what we need is a consensus approach,” he said.

“A new government starts by dumping the policies of the past government and neglects to preserve and enhance sound education policy – this is political ping-pong and it’s pointless. It hurts schools and damages children’s learning”.

“Finland is a top performer educationally, for thirty years Finnish politicians have been able to set aside petty politicking and commit to a long term vision for education. They put the strategic educational needs of the country before their own party interests, producing great results,” said Duff.

Duff said there are few signs the government ever apply evidence-based decision making to our education system. For example evidence-based proposals from the prime ministers’ chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman on the importance of addressing problems early in life had gone nowhere.

“The government has short-term fixes for young people if they drop out of school but no investment or strategy in stopping that happening in the first place,” he said.

PPTA is calling on all politicians this election to drop the politicking and show real leadership by joining together to support a long-term strategy for teaching and learning.

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