National Party’s Christopher Luxon attended a public meeting in Ilam last week, where he addressed a packed audience and spoke on a range of topics, including education. The Opposition leader expressed concern about the state of education in New Zealand, and how it is affecting the country’s economy and society.
Luxon said the country’s education system is failing its children. He was joined by Dr Hamish Campbell, the party’s candidate from Ilam for the national elections this October.
“We have a systemic failure in our education system. Two-thirds of secondary school students failed to meet the minimum standard in reading, writing and maths, while 98 per cent of Decile One Year 10 students failed a basic writing test,” Luxon said.
He added the country needs to create opportunities for children so they can become whatever they want to be, and pursue their vision for the future. The Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate said 65 per cent of 15-year-olds failed last year at the most basic math, and reading and writing tests. These symptoms indicate the education system is failing to prepare children for the real world, where they need to acquire skills to get higher-paying jobs and salaries.
“We have 100,000 kids in New Zealand chronically absent from school. They don’t show up because they feel they are not engaged enough at school…The other part is some parents are not being responsible…These days, teachers have to do parenting and counselling and behavioural modification. They have to do a whole bunch of other stuff before they even get a chance to actually do the teaching. We’ve got our teachers who are qualified and can do an amazing job, but we’ve got to give them some support,” Luxon said.
He highlighted National’s plan to implement a number of reforms to improve education in New Zealand. He said students need to receive an hour of reading, writing and maths every day. He also suggested a revision of the curriculum to ensure clear guidelines on what should be taught in these subjects each year for every year group.
“Students’ progress in reading, writing and maths should be assessed twice a year, from Year 3 to Year 8, to ensure that knowledge is being transmitted effectively and that students are keeping up with the standards set for their age group,” he said.
To support teachers in this initiative, Luxon emphasised the need for them to spend more time learning how to teach the basics. He proposes providing additional classroom tools and lesson plans to help them teach reading, writing, maths and science more effectively.
Luxon said National’s reforms would ensure every child in New Zealand has the skills they need to succeed. “We want every child to have the chance to lead the life they want, and education is a key part of that,” he said.
Campbell, a medical researcher with a PhD in cancer and viruses, also spoke to the audience about healthcare. He is the National Party’s candidate for the Ilam electorate in Christchurch, which National MP Gerry Brownlee held until the 2020 election when Labour’s Sarah Pallett defeated him. Campbell and Pallett will square off in the upcoming election.