Minister needs to take responsibility for Whangaruru disaster

The Education Minister has announced that a troubled Northland charter school has been issued with a performance notice, but she needs to take responsibility for the dire situation, says NZEI President Louise Green.

The Trust running Te Pumanawa o te Wairua School is now required to take immediate action to address areas of serious concern at the school.

However, Ms Green said it was Minister Hekia Parata’s refusal to listen to ministry advice that meant the school opened in the first place, even though it was obviously ill-equipped to do so.

“This has been a disaster for the children in this charter school. They’ve paid the price for being caught up in a clash between ideological determination and good advice,” she said.

“The good news this week is that the Minister will not be calling for another round of charter school applications this year.

“The breakneck speed at which the first nine schools opened is not helping kids or the well-meaning organisations that are trying to operate them.

“Educators have been greatly concerned from the start about the impact, effectiveness and accountability of these privately-run and publically funded schools. It’s time to put this experiment on ice and instead put the resources into public schools.”

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