QPEC Summit on Resourcing for Quality Public Ed

QPEC Summit on Resourcing for Quality Public Education

Wednesday 22 November 2006, St Columba Centre, Vermont Street,

Ponsonby, Auckland.

Media Conference at 3.45pm

A warm invitation is extended to media representatives to attend this Summit at any time during the day but particularly for the media conference at 3.45pm.

Professor of Accounting and Finance and former Commerce Commission member Don Gilling will present the facts on resourcing over recent years while sector representatives will all talk of the day to day reality of funding problems across all sectors of public education.

The program is attached and will be updated on our website at www.qpec.org.nz

Background:

New Zealand has had a tradition of free, high quality, publicly provided education for everyone as a right of citizenship for the years of compulsory schooling and through tertiary education. (This has never been the case in early childhood education where services and support from government have been fragmented and delivered on a relatively ad hoc basis over many decades)

However this tradition has taken a battering over the past 17 years since the advent of the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms under which many schools now charge substantial fees – more than $700 per year for some state schools and more than $5,000 for some integrated schools.

At tertiary level the introduction of tertiary fees and student loans has effectively abandoned free, quality education and the government now provides just a subsidy for tertiary education costs.

The recent clamour for tax cuts from the business sector underlines the importance of the community understanding the chronic underfunding of education in New Zealand at all levels.

Summit Outline:

QPEC is organising a one-day summit on Resourcing for Quality Public Education to be held on Wednesday November 22nd at St Columba Centre, Vermont Street, Ponsonby, Auckland from 10am. The aims of the seminar are –

(1) Restate the case for free, high quality public education from early childhood to tertiary education.

(2) Outline the areas where current resourcing prevents the sector delivering the highest quality to everyone.

(3) Develop pressure (via the seminar and beyond) on the government to do more to deliver resources in education via the 2007 budget.

Summit Program

Chair Emeritus Professor of Education Ivan Snook

10am

Welcome from the Chair (5 min)

Overview of Educational Funding – Don Gilling (Independent Economic Consultant, former Professor of Accounting and Finance as well as a former member of the Commerce Commission) (10 min)

10.15am Session 1: Early childhood education

Overview of early childhood education resourcing – Don Gilling (10 mins)

Current political direction – Liz Gordon (Education Researcher, National Vice Chair of QPEC)

Panel on ECE –

• Jeanette Clarkin-Phillips (NZEI)

• Kindergarten Assn (tbc)

• Lynne Brown and Marion Pilkington (Standing ctte members NZ Playcentre Federation)

• Kohanga Reo (tbc)

Discussion

Summary of key points – Ivan Snook

11.45am Morning tea

12.00pm Session 2: Tertiary Education

Overview of tertiary resourcing Don Gilling (10 mins)

Current political direction – Liz Gordon

Panel on tertiary resourcing

• Sharon Stevens (incoming Nat Chair Assn Staff in Tertiary Ed)

• Nigel Haworth (Nat Pres Assn of University Staff)

• Conor Roberts (President NZUSA)

• Kitea Tipuna (National Vice President Tertiary Institutes Allied Staff Association)

• Te Wananga (tbc)

• VC Ctte (tbc)

• Polytech Assn (tbc)

Discussion

Summary of key points – Ivan Snook

1.30pm Lunch

2.00pm Session 3: Schools

Overview of schools resourcing – Don Gilling (10 mins)

Current political direction – Liz Gordon (10 mins)

Panel on school resourcing

• Diane O’Sullivan (National Pres NZ Parent Teacher Assn)

• Irene Cooper (Nat President NZEI)

• School Trustees Assn (tbc)

• Debbie Te Whaiti (Nat President PPTA)

Discussion

Summary of key points – Ivan Snook

3.30pm Afternoon Tea

3.45pm Media Conference

Ivan to lead with main points to emerge from summit

ends

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