Thumbs up to Labour Party’s Gifted Education support

Media Release

For Immediate Release

10 July 2014

Thumbs up to Labour Party’s Gifted Education support

New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education backs the Labour Party’s announcement it will support gifted children if elected. Ring-fenced funding and extra teachers for special education is a start to help support the diverse learning needs of gifted and talented students.

“All children have the right to quality education but some are missing out. This is for a number of reasons, but for our gifted students, they’re missing out on the right specialist support needed to help them reach their potential.” David Tong, Chair of the Board of Directors.

“Teachers need more resources and support to teach their thirty-three-pupil classes, and those one or two or five children in that class who are bored and not being challenged because they’re ahead of their peers, need just as much support as those struggling at the other end” Tong continues.

“In addition to Labour’s announcement, we would welcome a Select Committee inquiry into Gifted Education. This will help us build a stronger framework to support our gifted children and go a long way in understanding the needs of the gifted learner”.

“If we give a conservative estimate that five percent of the population is gifted and talented, at least 24, 000 school aged-children and youth could be identified in New Zealand as needing specialist support. We need to support gifted students, just as much as any other student and the Labour policy will certainly set a framework to begin strengthening that support direct to gifted children.”

New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education Ltd is a non-profit organisation with charitable status providing services nationwide in gifted education. For more information please go to www.nzcge.co.nz.

ENDS.

© Scoop Media