PPTA welcomes move to bring back free education

A free quality public education is one of the key rights of growing up in New Zealand, but sadly for many families it is not always a reality.

This is why PPTA supports today’s announcement from Labour that it will provide an annual grant of $100 per student to schools that stop asking for “voluntary” donations to fund their day-to-day spending.

PPTA has long opposed the inequities in school funding with papers to its last two annual conferences on school charges and the decile divide, president Angela Roberts said.

“The principle of free quality education for all has been eroded in recent years. Finding a way to start clawing that back is a significant step forward,” she said.

Labour’s policy also includes a small benefit to low decile schools that take the offer up, which is a practical move, Roberts said.

“It is a well-documented fact that low decile schools are the least likely to be able to raise significant funds from their communities yet it costs more to give their students the education they need.”

While Labour’s policy would not solve all the issues surrounding school charges it was an excellent place to start, Roberts said.

“It recognises the importance of free education - teachers, parents and students will all welcome that.”

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