Editor
Spring is an uplifting season. It stirs the spirits and is bursting is what Treasury was advising the Government in respect of with colourful new beginnings. It makes me think of leafy new Education Minister Parata’s ‘ambitious agenda for change in canes rearing upwards from rose bush stumps, of woolly lambs the schooling sector’, as reported by the New Zealand Herald gambolling across lush green fields, of little new entrants, of first (31 October). year teachers and of first time principals. It is a refreshing time The Treasury advice entitled ‘Quiet Change – A Treasury filled with innocence and optimism. Guide’, suggested that ‘controversial changes to education I am a fortunate person in a fortunate job. I get to visit schools should be kept as low-profile as possible’ and ‘implemented and write stories about them. I get to experience the spirit of Spring with less attention’. The advice went on to describe how best to all year round because in every push through this change with school I visit I find refreshing the words ‘Communicating optimism. I meet energised, Helping struggling children change across a broad front is enthusiastic children, teachers has been used as a front for difficult. Overseas experience and principals. I see stunning in education reform suggests achievements that children privatising the state education system. focusing on communicating a make in school every day, positively framed ‘crucial few’ irrespective of their ability or circumstances and I see the creative at any one time.’ It continues that this can be achieved ‘while and innovative ways teachers draw children into learning. Nicola making smaller incremental changes in a less high profile manner Girling, principal of Hillsborough School is one such principal across a range of fronts’. (see p.18 of this issue). She talks about the questioning techniques The real cynicism is embedded in the next bit however. This used in her school and the direct teaching of thinking skills is where the helpful Treasury offers more direct, concrete advice because she, like so many principals, studies the research and about how to successfully communicate this unpalatable reform listens to the experts who all say that these are essentials for the agenda. future success of today’s children. They all want the absolute best Treasury suggests using themes such as ‘supporting quality for the children in their schools. teaching’ and ‘measuring performance to focus support’. Is it any wonder then that we get so frustrated when we see This way, continues the Treasury advice, ‘you can pursue the such disconnection between what the Government is doing to harder-edged changes in parallel, incrementally and without our education system and what the professionals are trying to significant profile.’ In other words whilst you are quietly pursuing achieve for our children. I’ve always thought the most recent privatisation, distract the pundits with warm phrases like ‘quality Ministers of Education and associates were out of touch with how teaching’ and ‘support’. Who would argue against those ideas? children learn best and especially how the strugglers learn best. Now that this document has been made public, the current Still I believed they really were motivated to help those children Minister has utterly denied taking any notice of it. at the bottom – I just thought they had picked the wrong policies The influence of Treasury and its advice however runs deep. to achieve what were otherwise sincere and noble ends. It runs so deep that it would seem the Minister isn’t even aware Documents written last year, and revealed through the OIA of how it is influencing her own rhetoric. In the last year we process recently, leave us in no doubt however that the cynics and have heard her make dozens of statements in relation to the naysayers were right all the time. Helping struggling children, has ‘distraction topics.’ ‘Supporting quality teaching’ and ‘measuring been used as a front for privatising the state education system. performance to focus support’ are statements as synonymous The real agenda is about introducing competition and market with the Minister as her bright blue jackets. forces and extracting savings from a big government department It is examples like this that confirm why the credibility and called our schooling system. The only reason the Government integrity of the Treasury and its political mouthpieces has hasn’t succeeded with full privatisation yet is because teaching plummeted to the level of the most unscrupulous second hand car professionals have been constantly highlighting flaws in the salesman, who cons, deceives and rips off the public. But even as policies they have tried to embed. Professionals rightly objected politicians go, this is about as low as we’ve ever witnessed before. because they could see the policies were more likely to harm I say roll on the election and allow the voters to restore the children than help. All the time, they were mechanisms intended spirit of Spring and optimism: so that leadership, fresh ideas, to provide the foundation for privatisation. creativity and critical thinking can again rule in our schools, As optimists we are not used to this level of stealth. But here unimpeded by deceitful political distractions.