Challenge To Government During Gifted Awareness Week

Challenge To Government During Gifted Awareness Week

During the week of 13th-19th June, New Zealand’s three nationwide charitable organisations supporting giftedness, the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education (NZCGE), the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children (NZAGC) and giftEDnz, the Professional Association for Gifted Education, will again combine forces to educate, advocate and celebrate as they encourage a greater awareness of giftedness and promote activities that celebrate giftedness in all its forms.

Belonging is the focus for Gifted Awareness Week 2016 and is one of the principles that underpins the New Zealand curriculum and Marautanga o Aotearoa (the curriculum document for Maori-medium schools). The three organisations will celebrate gifted learners across the week in a variety of ways but are also using the opportunity to request government finds a valued and meaningful place for gifted learners within the education system.

Deborah Walker, CEO of NZCGE, states however, “The best Gifted Awareness Week would be to not actually hold one at all because the needs of this particular group were already being understood and met.” Walker claims we are far from that happening and in fact she believes the needs of gifted learners in New Zealand are largely ignored at government level and that the gains that had been made since meeting the needs of gifted children became a legal mandate in the National Administration Guidelines 2005 have almost dwindled to nothing. “Without true valuing from the Ministry of Education the place of gifted education will continue to languish. Gifted children have complex needs and it is sadly the case that there is currently little to no ongoing commitment from the Ministry to support children or their teachers in meeting those specific needs.”

“Special Education is where gifted and talented education belongs,” states Louise Tapper, giftEDnz chairperson, “and it is from here that recognition, resourcing and support ought to stem, reflective of the fact that these learners have unique and special needs.”

Tracy Riley, Associate Professor at Massey University and NZCGE Director, agrees “Support from the Ministry of Education requires more than a clause in a legal document, it requires targetted funding for students and professional learning development for teachers, and support for external providers for those children who need that alternative. For example, spending time with like-minds in programmes provides increased opportunities for connectedness; improved chances of being understood and accepted; better prospects of forming high quality friendships; more suitable occasions to practice socio-affective skills; and, basically, the comfort of feeling normal and belonging.”

Walker says, “This year, in Gifted Awareness Week, we are focusing on the need for our young gifted New Zealanders to have a true place where they belong within our education system. They are not a curriculum subject and they are not a special interest group. They are part of every level of learning from Early Years to Tertiary and they are part of every learning area and subject. The Government has placed them legally within Special Needs so we’re asking them to make that a reality. We estimate there are around 40,000 gifted learners in our school system and last year the Government provided less than a $1,000,000 to support their needs. What would gifted education look like if it were resourced in the same way that other areas of Special Needs are resourced?”

The New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education, the New Zealand Association for Gifted Children,and giftEDnz, the professional association for gifted and talented have released a position paper on Belonging for Gifted Education, this paper can be downloaded on each of their websites.

ENDS

© Scoop Media