16th September 2011
For Immediate Release

Unacceptable threats made to schools over National Standards disclaimers

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says threats by the Ministry of Education to install limited statutory managers in a number of schools in Northland are unwarranted and unacceptable.

The schools have been told in a letter from the Ministry that their boards will be replaced if they don’t remove a disclaimer in their charters saying they have referenced National Standards “under duress”.

That does not mean they are not complying,” says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

“They and their communities simply wanted to let the Ministry know that they didn’t want to use National Standards because they don’t believe they will do anything to help raise the achievement of their students”.

School charters are supposed to reflect the expectations that individual communities have for their children.

“The Ministry should not be allowed to issue directives over what is in them and then threaten schools with limited statutory management when it doesn’t like what’s been written,” says Mr Leckie.

“That sort of top down action takes control away from schools and communities and should be viewed by all schools and boards as very worrying and completely unacceptable.”

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