Secretary for Education announces plan to move on

Secretary for Education announces plan to move on after more than 10 years

The Secretary for Education, Howard Fancy, today confirmed that he will be leaving his position at the end of October. By then he will have been the Department’s chief executive for more than 10 years.

Mr Fancy has led the Ministry through a series of significant organisational and policy changes. Major initiatives have centred on literacy, numeracy, information and communication technologies (ICT), teacher professional development, NCEA, Maori education, major school improvement projects, special education and the evaluation and monitoring of system performance. Major reforms have taken place in the early childhood and tertiary sectors. Over this period Specialist Education Services and Early Childhood Development have merged with the Ministry.

Mr Fancy said that after a decade in the role it was time to look for a new challenge.

“It has been a privilege to lead the Ministry over the past ten years. I have always been inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and commitment of the people who work at the Ministry and in the wider education system,” Mr Fancy said.

“It has been a decade of enormous challenges and great change in education in New Zealand – and I’m proud of the achievements we’ve made over that time.

"Our education system is now much more focussed on raising the achievement of all students. A strong and growing information base is being developed that shows what all students are capable of doing and what works in terms of effective practice. The Ministry now supports learning and teaching in many different ways, and the New Zealand education system is seen as an international leader in many areas.

"The increased participation in and the quality of early childhood education are giving many more children a good start in life. Schools are reporting significant student literacy and numeracy gains, and students are leaving schools and tertiary institutions with better qualifications than ever before. The provision and quality of special education services have been reformed and improved. These are just some of the achievements of the past decade.

“There are more challenges ahead, and we will continue to focus on our mission of raising achievement and reducing disparity. Our work on vital outcomes, supporting the sector and delivering on the government’s strategies will continue as ever.”

Mr Fancy said that over the next eight months he would continue to lead the Ministry to work closely with the wider education sector to deliver excellent educational services for New Zealanders.

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