Education Amendment Bill to become law

A wide-ranging education bill which passed its third and final reading today will improve student safety and allow schools to manage more efficiently, says Education Minister Anne Tolley.

The Education Amendment Act will reduce schools’ compliance costs and improve the quality and effectiveness of existing education legislation.

“This Act introduces important changes to help ensure that New Zealand has a reliable and efficient education system,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Together with other education reforms, it will allow schools to get on with teaching and learning instead of being distracted by bureaucracy, while giving parents greater peace of mind.”

The Act sets out new Police vetting rules, including new procedures and qualifying criteria for non-teaching staff and contractors in schools and early childhood education services. This change will mean a quicker, one-stop procedure which no longer involves the Teachers Council.

In particular, Police vetting of adult household members will now be mandatory when children enrolled in a home-based service are being cared for in a home other than their own.

The Act will also allow information to be matched between the New Zealand Teachers Council’s register of teachers and the Ministry of Education’s payroll database so unregistered teachers can be identified.

“This will provide a more reliable and efficient method of monitoring teacher registration and tracking the employment of teachers to ensure that teachers meet current teaching and safety standards,” says Mrs Tolley.

ENDS

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