Mallard opts for dumb parents

"In laying out the governments priorities for education, Trevor Mallard has overlooked parents." says Sharron Cole, President of Parents Centre.

"We are extremely disappointed. By reducing resources for parents and pumping millions into the early childhood sector Mr. Mallard is sending parents the message that they should stand back and leave the education of their children to the experts.

In his press release Mr. Mallard states "Education starts at birth and...must be a lifelong activity". Parents Centre asks what parents are supposed to do with children for the first two or three years, before early childhood education begins.

"Should we just stick our kids in a corner and wait till they are old enough to attend a kindergarten?" asks Ms Cole "If Mr. Mallard truly believes that education starts at birth why is he not making provisions for a child's first educator, their parents, to be knowledgeable and skilled."

The fantastic education investment that parents present is being ignored.

"Educating parents represents incredible value for money," says Ms Cole. "Not only is it inexpensive, but the impacts are like casting pebbles in a pond. Parents share knowledge and skills. Educate a child and you get an educated child. Educate their parents and that new knowledge and skills positively affects all that family, their relatives and their children's friends.

New Zealand has a tradition of ignoring the skills and knowledge needs of our nation's parents, considering it to be a thing that is passed between generations. We know that our transient population means that this no longer happens reliably - but are doing nothing to fill in the void in skills and knowledge. Parents have a place in the knowledge wave, stimulating their children to engage in learning for life. Parents need skills and knowledge of child development to do this. As long as we allow parents to wallow in ignorance, we are missing the opportunity to have their children rearing to learn.

While early childhood education costs thousands per child a comprehensive program giving parents timely skills and knowledge could be run for a few hundred dollars per parent.

"Parents Centre believes, as Trevor Mallard states, that education is a lifelong activity," says Ms Cole. "Parents Centre educates thousands of parents every year. Parents are the key to the future of a child. They provide the values, motivation and security for a child to flourish or wither. Currently our parents operate in an environment where all the government's resources are focused on failure. This signals a low expectation of our parents. By raising the bar, motivating our parents to succeed and giving them the resources and support to make it happen we could see a country that is prosperous, energetic, and healthy. We call on the government to open a dialogue with the nation's parents and begin to explore some possibilities, rather than sidelining them again."

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