KNOWLEDGE GAP SYMPTOM OF CURRICULUM OVERLOAD

“The finding that 40% of 12 year olds cannot locate NZ on a world map is a symptom of school curriculum overload,” said New Zealand First Education spokesperson, Brian Donnelly.

“It is ironic that on the same day that the Minister is saying that all water safety skills have to be taught as part of the curriculum, and truancy rates have doubled, schools are being criticised because half the Year 8’s don’t know about votes for women.

“People who compare the knowledge of today’s children with what they learned at school need to understand that in the past there was a much narrower range of knowledge, centrally dictated and supported by common texts, than there is today.

“I would be far more interested in knowing whether children have the skills to find out where Cape Reinga is on a map rather than whether they can pinpoint it,” said Mr Donnelly.

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