4 February 2011

Greens release ground-breaking education report

As students return to school for the 2011 year, the Green Party has released an innovative report which asks young people to share their answers to the question 'What is a Real Education'?

"As kids head back to school, adults are pre-occupied with debates about assessment. I asked young people directly what they need from the education system, and their concerns are quite different," Green Party Education Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said.

The report is the culmination of a two-year project by Ms Delahunty, who visited 17 learning centres around the country and facilitated workshops gathering young peoples' views.

Ms Delahunty said while the report presents students' views in their own words, there are distinct common threads.

"Young people are concerned about the three 'Rs' - but not just reading, writing and arithmetic. They want respect, good relationships and an education that is relevant.

"They are also concerned about resources. There are vast disparities in resource levels between different schools, and young people are aware of this. They want to learn in an environment that is well resourced, free, and fair."

Ms Delahunty said the opinions of young people themselves were too often overlooked in debates about education.

"Young people understand their educational context better than anyone, and they have diverse and nuanced opinions. Parliamentarians need to hear the voices of young people if school is to be a relevant and vibrant experience for everyone.

"Many of the young people I spoke to were concerned that the system promotes learning for assessment rather than for learning's sake, and called for individual learning styles and abilities to be taken into account."

Ms Delahunty said it was vital to ensure that every young person has access to a quality education no matter where they lived or what their background was.

"Everyone deserves access to a great education, but there are vast disparities for some students, especially Maori, Pasifika, and students from low income families. The students I spoke to were aware of these differences, and passionate about eliminating them.

"The Green Party supports this goal and I hope this report will contribute to a positive culture of respecting and supporting students around the country," Ms Delahunty said.

To download the report: www.greens.org.nz/education

ENDS

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