School choice paper a waste of taxpayer money

School choice paper a waste of taxpayer money

The Inter-Party Working Group for School Choice report is a colossal waste of public money, PPTA president Kate Gainsford says.

'Step Change: Success the Only Option', was celebrated last night with top quality wine and canapés in the banquet hall of parliament.

Hosted by ACT deputy leader Heather Roy and attended by the well-heeled patrons of independent schools, it was supposedly designed to benefit the 20% of students who are educationally underprivileged.

Gainsford said the working group’s findings were so confused it couldn’t even agree on a single report. Instead two have been released - one the whole group could agree on, and a second put forward by Roy and Roger Douglas.

“The reports cobble together disconnected bits of research, simplistic generalisations and ‘mum and apple pie’ principles. They gives no evidence of any considered thinking at all – as a research exercise I would have to give them a ‘not achieved,” she said

Douglas was also being selectively dishonest in advocating Sweden’s education system as a model for our own, Gainsford said.
“Let’s hear from him about the 60% top tax rate that funds that system.”

Gainsford described the reports as “fiscally irresponsible, superficial and glib.
“ACT keeps a close eye on other groups’ spending, but these reports show a total disregard of taxpayer dollars,” she said.

Gainsford also felt the reports were not in students’ best interests.

“Changing schools can be traumatic. The reports treat children as a commodity, to be shuffled in and out of schools regardless of how emotionally, socially and educationally disruptive that would be.”

ENDS

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