21 August 2011
For Immediate Release

ACT continues to roll-out outdated failed education policy

The ACT Party continues to roll out outdated failed education policy which will do nothing to enhance quality public education, according to the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

ACT has announced its education policy which includes plans for voucher-based funding, and performance pay for teachers which would be decided by Boards of Trustees.

“Performance pay systems have failed all around the world and teachers here know that they do not fit into New Zealand ’s education system,” says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

“Measuring teacher performance is fraught with difficulty. How can you compare the performance of one teacher against another when there are so many variables in terms of student behaviour and achievement?”

“Some of the best teaching can go on in classes where students struggle and don’t achieve as highly as other students do. Rewarding teachers based on student results would be unfair and unworkable,” he says.

The Minister of Education told NZEI’s annual conference this weekend that performance pay for teachers is not on National’s educational agenda.

Ian Leckie says “no self –respecting government would allow itself to go into coalition or make any coalition deals with a party putting forward such outdated and failed educational policy.”

“ACT’s education platform runs completely against what is good for teaching and learning and should end up in the political wilderness where it belongs.”

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