Media release
Tertiary Education Union
19 March 2012
Victoria University naïve to support charter school
Public education institutions such as Victoria University of Wellington’s Faculty of Education should not be tendering
to run a private charter school, say TEU national president Sandra Grey.
The Herald reported yesterday that Victoria University was one of only five organisations so far to express an interest
in running a private charter school.
Dr Grey says Victoria’s expression of interest to run a charter school raises worrying questions about what direction
the university has for education.
“If it has innovative new ideas for education, why is it not already teaching and promoting those ideas in our existing
public schools through research and teacher education at its own Faculty of Education.”
“New Zealand has a high quality public education system, from early childhood right through to adult and tertiary
education. One of its strengths is that everyone, no matter where they come from, has the same opportunity to high
quality teaching and learning. In contrast, charter schools, like many other private education providers, are limited
and divisive. They take the focus away from improving education for all New Zealanders to focus instead on rewarding
private, for-profit companies. Victoria should not involve itself in legitimising this attack on quality public
education,” said Dr Grey.