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Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Schools in literacy crisis, advocacy group warns
By John Gerritsen of RNZ Schools have told advocacy group Lifting Literacy Aotearoa they are struggling with record numbers of students with poor literacy. They say teens are wagging classes and schools are blowing their budgets on extra lessons because they are unable to cope with tough new NCEA reading and writing tests. A snapshot of school experiences gathered by Lifting Literacy showed some students were so far behind in their learning their teachers did not know what to do with them. Lifting Literacy said the situation was a crisis and the government needed to develop a five-year plan to help schools help teens learn to read and write. Principals and teachers from 29 secondary schools responded to an informal Lifting Literacy survey. Their comments revealed the introduction of high-stakes NCEA literacy and numeracy tests called "corequisites" had coincided with the worst-prepared cohort of teenagers some schools had ever seen - thanks to Covid. "It's an enormous issue. We have an increasing number of students who are very limited in both reading and writing," wrote one respondent. "Each year students who come to us at Year 9 are showing increasingly low literacy levels and increasingly high learning needs. The impact is huge," said another. The respondents said teachers were struggling to teach classes that ranged from the barely literate to high-achievers and schools were "scrounging" for funding. "Most high school teachers do not have qualifications to address this," said one respondent. "Pressure has fallen on high schools with little or no support," said another. "We are now operating in planned deficit budgets to fund the high level of need and high stakes for students due to NCEA changes," said one principal. Several respondents said their schools bankrolled literacy catch-up classes and training from the Kahui Ako scheme that gave some teachers release time for specialist work with other teachers in their school or across groups of schools. An English teacher from a large, low-decile school who RNZ agreed not to name, said that arrangement allowed her to work with four classes of Year 9 students who could not read. She said the school would have to cover the cost itself next year because the government axed the scheme in its May Budget. Despite the relatively high numbers of struggling Year 9s, the teacher said her school's current Year 11s had entered the school with the lowest level of education of any Year 9 cohort before or since. "They're the ones that are really struggling with the corequisites because they're expected to pass but as they're failing their identity of their ability is dwindling," she said. The teacher said teaching teenagers to read was often "quite a quick fix", with most requiring only three or four "structured literacy" lessons to learn how to decode words by learning which sounds went with each letter. "Teaching kids how to read and read longer words, which seems to be the biggest problem, that's quite a quick fix," she said. "Teaching younger kids takes a longer time, teaching these older kids, even kids who really struggle and some of them who are dyslexic, once they're shown a certain way some of them are off within three or four lessons, they're gone," she said. "Some might take a lot longer, but the majority of them in high school there's nothing wrong with them other than they haven't been taught that A-U is an "or" sound or O-U-G-H can have 6-7 different sounds, or how to split up longer words," she said. She said the government could achieve great results if it funded similar programmes across the country. Another teacher who worked with others across a major city said secondary schools had been left in the lurch. She said teachers were having to figure out themselves how to help their students. "We have a cluster of people who are all working in the literacy space and we're working together and sharing our ideas and sharing with each other because we've got no support from the ministry and no guidance," she said. Janice Langford provided structured literacy training for primary schools, but recently started working with secondary teachers because of the need. She said English teachers were being asked to do the work of specialist literacy teachers and they were not trained for it. Lifting Literacy Aoteroa chair Jennie Watts said in five or 10 years, improvements the government was making in primary schools would flow through to secondary. But in the meantime, students were not getting a fair deal. "There's an urgent gap. We can't let those kids, the kids who are struggling right now and the ones who are about to hit secondary school, we can't just let them fall through the cracks. She said secondary schools needed a five-year strategy including training and funding to improve teens' literacy. It should introduce a new optional literacy subject separate to English, and remove the co-requisite numeracy and literacy requirement for NCEA. Watts said the government should also provide funding for literacy lead teachers, targeted intervention for the students who needed them, and resources aimed at teenagers.
Otago Daily Times
06-06-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Funding for counselling faces crisis
A crucial Clutha counselling service is facing a funding crisis and community advocates and educators are urgently seeking new support. Hearing You is a mobile, professional counselling service for school children aged 5 to 13, many of whom face complex issues such as anxiety, social challenges, family trauma and even self-harm. It circulates through 11 district schools and is set to lose its core funding in less than a year. Launched in 2021 as a post-Covid-19 initiative to address rising levels of anxiety and emotional distress among schoolchildren, Hearing You replaced the Chat Bus service to quickly become an essential part of student wellbeing in the region. At present, schools receive a half-day to a full day of counselling per fortnight, an amount stakeholders say is already far from sufficient, given the demand. But Hearing You is supported under a collaborative educational network called Kahui Ako, a model to be phased out as the government reallocates $680 million towards Learning Support initiatives. While the new investments are aimed at helping children in the classroom with learning needs including neurodiversity issues, they do not include dedicated funding for counselling services like Hearing You. Stakeholders wanted to highlight Clutha businesses, organisations and individuals who have stepped up to help provide resources from vehicles to sponsorship and reiterate their gratitude. But with Kahui Ako to be fully disestablished by January 2026, schools and supporters were already working to secure future funding for counsellors' wages, fuel, insurance and other costs. Counsellors are at present sourced through Catholic Social Services Dunedin, which also provides the necessary supervision and training. "It's really challenging for parents to get their children into town to see a counsellor," Balclutha Primary School principal Vicki Neave said. "They have the counsellor go to their schools. It makes it so much more accessible and it breaks down that geographical barrier." "Hearing You really does work and it improves school attendance levels because students are coming to school to see the counsellor and just knowing they have someone coming they can safely talk to is enough to keep some of them hanging in there." The service's backers are working to create a sustainable future model by demonstrating and pooling community support as they seek out funding in hopes of not just maintaining, but expanding the provision. Without swift and secure funding solutions, a service many now see as indispensable could soon be lost — leaving some of Clutha's most vulnerable without vital support.
Economic Times
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
New Zealand government is leaking info and finding a culprit in media
New Zealand Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche addresses internal leaks amid ongoing investigations across government departments Synopsis The New Zealand government continues to struggle with unauthorized leaks from public servants, prompting investigations and internal warnings. Recent disclosures highlight ongoing concerns about information security, with the Education Ministry launching an external probe and the Public Service Commissioner reinforcing measures to prevent further leaks Government email leak reveals crackdown on public servants ADVERTISEMENT Such is the state of affairs within the New Zealand government that an email to ensure sensitive information is not leaked to the media also finds its way to news outlets. The leaked internal email revealed a new crackdown by the New Zealand government aimed at stopping unauthorized disclosures by public servants. The message, attributed to Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, urged employees to cease leaking sensitive information, emphasizing that such actions violate the core values of the public service. The email was circulated on May 22, hours after RNZ reported on a court injunction blocking its publication of confidential pre-Budget documents. Roche instructed agency heads to investigate leaks thoroughly and remove responsible employees where appropriate. He highlighted that leaking information undermines the government of the day and breaches the public service code of conduct. Also read: New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis' budget 2025 full speech: Trump's tariffs, slow growth, economic challenges Education Ministry initiates external leak investigationIn response to continued leaks, the Education Ministry announced an independent investigation led by Michael Heron KC. The ministry's acting deputy secretary, Rob Campbell, sent an email to staff expressing concern over recent unauthorized disclosures damaging organizational trust and ministry invited RNZ to discuss potential information shared with the outlet, an invitation RNZ declined to protect confidential sources. Campbell's message noted that breaches compromise the integrity of the public service and confirmed plans to review information-sharing protocols and internal policies, including the ministry's Speak Up policy and protected disclosure guidelines. ADVERTISEMENT Ongoing leak incidents across public service agenciesRecent months have seen multiple leak incidents within New Zealand's public service. RNZ reported documents indicating planned cuts to the $118 million Kahui Ako education program and internal feedback on health data team reductions. Leaked reports from the Interislanders ferries advisory group and material relating to the Treaty Principles Bill also surfaced. ADVERTISEMENT Also read: New Zealand sees surge in golden visa applications following policy reforms, wealthy Americans lead the wayThe government's inability to control these leaks points to systemic issues in managing sensitive information. Public Service Commissioner Roche reiterated the need for chief executives to uphold confidentiality and maintain public trust, reinforcing consequences for those responsible for leaks. ADVERTISEMENT Opposition voices highlight culture of frustration among public servantsCritics argue that the prevalence of leaks reflects deeper dissatisfaction within the public service. Green Party public service spokesperson Francisco Hernandez linked the issue to ministers allegedly ignoring or censoring evidence-based advice, fostering frustration among officials. Hernandez acknowledged that while leaks are not condoned, they are symptomatic of an unhealthy culture and diminishing respect for democratic called for a balanced approach, urging the Public Service Commissioner to ensure ministers respect the neutrality and integrity of the public service alongside cracking down on actions has the New Zealand government taken to address leaks by public servants? ADVERTISEMENT The government has issued internal warnings through emails from Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, emphasizing that leaks violate public service values. Additionally, agencies are instructed to investigate leaks thoroughly and take disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate. The Education Ministry has also launched an independent external investigation led by Michael Heron KC. Why did RNZ decline to participate in the Education Ministry's leak investigation? RNZ declined the invitation to meet with the Education Ministry's investigator to protect the confidentiality of its sources. Protecting anonymous sources is a core journalistic principle and is key to maintaining trust and information flow. What kinds of information have been leaked recently within New Zealand's public service? Recent leaks have included confidential pre-Budget documents, plans to cut the $118 million Kahui Ako education program, internal feedback on health data team reductions, reports from the Interislanders ferries advisory group, and material related to the Treaty Principles Bill. What concerns have been raised about the culture within New Zealand's public service related to leaks? Critics suggest leaks are a symptom of frustration among public servants who feel their evidence-based advice is ignored or censored by ministers. This dissatisfaction is seen as contributing to an unhealthy culture and declining respect for democratic processes. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) (Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates. NEXT STORY
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
New Zealand government is leaking info and finding a culprit in media
Government email leak reveals crackdown on public servants Such is the state of affairs within the New Zealand government that an email to ensure sensitive information is not leaked to the media also finds its way to news outlets. The leaked internal email revealed a new crackdown by the New Zealand government aimed at stopping unauthorized disclosures by public servants. The message, attributed to Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche , urged employees to cease leaking sensitive information, emphasizing that such actions violate the core values of the public service. The email was circulated on May 22, hours after RNZ reported on a court injunction blocking its publication of confidential pre-Budget documents. Roche instructed agency heads to investigate leaks thoroughly and remove responsible employees where appropriate. He highlighted that leaking information undermines the government of the day and breaches the public service code of conduct . Also read: New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis' budget 2025 full speech: Trump's tariffs, slow growth, economic challenges Education Ministry initiates external leak investigation In response to continued leaks, the Education Ministry announced an independent investigation led by Michael Heron KC. The ministry's acting deputy secretary, Rob Campbell, sent an email to staff expressing concern over recent unauthorized disclosures damaging organizational trust and professionalism. Live Events The ministry invited RNZ to discuss potential information shared with the outlet, an invitation RNZ declined to protect confidential sources. Campbell's message noted that breaches compromise the integrity of the public service and confirmed plans to review information-sharing protocols and internal policies, including the ministry's Speak Up policy and protected disclosure guidelines. Ongoing leak incidents across public service agencies Recent months have seen multiple leak incidents within New Zealand's public service. RNZ reported documents indicating planned cuts to the $118 million Kahui Ako education program and internal feedback on health data team reductions. Leaked reports from the Interislanders ferries advisory group and material relating to the Treaty Principles Bill also surfaced. Also read: New Zealand sees surge in golden visa applications following policy reforms, wealthy Americans lead the way The government's inability to control these leaks points to systemic issues in managing sensitive information. Public Service Commissioner Roche reiterated the need for chief executives to uphold confidentiality and maintain public trust, reinforcing consequences for those responsible for leaks. Opposition voices highlight culture of frustration among public servants Critics argue that the prevalence of leaks reflects deeper dissatisfaction within the public service. Green Party public service spokesperson Francisco Hernandez linked the issue to ministers allegedly ignoring or censoring evidence-based advice, fostering frustration among officials. Hernandez acknowledged that while leaks are not condoned, they are symptomatic of an unhealthy culture and diminishing respect for democratic principles. Hernandez called for a balanced approach, urging the Public Service Commissioner to ensure ministers respect the neutrality and integrity of the public service alongside cracking down on leaks. FAQs on New Zealand Government leaks and public service investigations What actions has the New Zealand government taken to address leaks by public servants? The government has issued internal warnings through emails from Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, emphasizing that leaks violate public service values. Additionally, agencies are instructed to investigate leaks thoroughly and take disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate. The Education Ministry has also launched an independent external investigation led by Michael Heron KC. Why did RNZ decline to participate in the Education Ministry's leak investigation? RNZ declined the invitation to meet with the Education Ministry's investigator to protect the confidentiality of its sources. Protecting anonymous sources is a core journalistic principle and is key to maintaining trust and information flow. What kinds of information have been leaked recently within New Zealand's public service? Recent leaks have included confidential pre-Budget documents, plans to cut the $118 million Kahui Ako education program, internal feedback on health data team reductions, reports from the Interislanders ferries advisory group, and material related to the Treaty Principles Bill. What concerns have been raised about the culture within New Zealand's public service related to leaks? Critics suggest leaks are a symptom of frustration among public servants who feel their evidence-based advice is ignored or censored by ministers. This dissatisfaction is seen as contributing to an unhealthy culture and declining respect for democratic processes.
Scoop
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Budget 2025: ‘Underperforming' Areas Cut To Pay For ‘Seismic Shift' In Education
The 2025 Budget puts the handbrake on annual growth in education spending, as past splurges on school buildings run out in the next few years. , Education correspondent The 2025 Budget puts the handbrake on annual growth in education spending, as past splurges on school buildings run out in the next few years. Despite that, spending on teaching and learning continues to grow with what the government describes as a 'seismic shift' in support for children with disabilities. Education Minister Erica Stanford said new education initiatives in the Budget totalled $2.5 billion over four years, though about $614m of that total was reprioritised from 'underperforming' initiatives. The government's total spend on early childhood and school education would grow by roughly $400m to $19.85b in 2025-26, but drop to $19b and $18.9b in subsequent years. The future decline was partly due to the fact the $240m a year free school lunch programme, Ka Ora, Ka Ako, was only funded until the end of 2026, and to a $600m drop in capital funding by 2027-28 and beyond. The Budget revealed education's worst-kept secret – the axing of the major school-clustering scheme, Kahui Ako, to help bankroll a $720m increase for learning support. The increase included $266m to extend the early intervention service from early childhood through to the end of Year 1 of primary school, including employing 560 more early intervention teachers and specialists and helping an additional 4000 children. It also included $192m over three years to provide learning support coordinators in 1250 more primary schools, $122m to meet increased demand for the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme for students with the highest needs, and $90m to build 25 new satellite classrooms for specialist schools. Stanford said the government was building up to adding 2 million extra teacher aide hours by 2028. The other big education initiative in the Budget was $298m for curriculum, nearly half of it targeted to maths and literacy, and about $76m for a new standardised reading, writing and maths test for schools. Other areas of spending included $672m for property, $150m for the teaching workforce, $104m for Māori education, and $140m for attendance, which was announced prior to the Budget. School operations grants received a 1.5 percent boost at a cost of $79m per full year, or $121.7m over the four years. The Budget total included $3b a year for early childhood education, with a 0.5 percent increase to early childhood service subsidies. The Budget included an 11 percent increase to government subsidies for private schools, raising the annual spend by $4.6m to $46.2m a year. Associate Education Minister David Seymour said the annual spend on private schools had not changed since 2010, when they had about 27,600 pupils – and they now had more than 33,000. The annual spend on charter schools also doubles next year to $57m, most of it for those operating as secondary schools, with the increase largely due to the drawdown of funding for setting up the schools. The Budget showed the government expected to sign contracts for 30 to 50 charter schools in the next 12 months. The cuts The Budget included a myriad of cuts to redirect funding to other education initiatives. 'We have assessed underspends and reprioritised initiatives that are underperforming or lack clear evidence that they're delivering intended outcomes,' Stanford said. The biggest cut was ending the Kahui Ako scheme, which paid about 4000 teachers extra to lead improvements in groups of schools, resulting in a reprioritisation of $375m over four years. The Budget repurposed spending of $72m over four years on programmes for kura kaupapa and Māori-medium education. However, half of it came from a contingency fund that was superseded by another source of money, meaning the sector was not suffering a cut from that part of the change. It also reprioritised $50m from schools' regional response fund, about $40m from resource teachers of literacy, and $14m from resource teachers of learning and behaviour in secondary schools. Also repurposed was about $37m from underspent funding on primary schools and $12m from the Positive Behaviour for Learning scheme for schools. A new $24m per year spend on support for the maths curriculum was bankrolled from a $28m a year spend on teacher professional development. Also cut was $2.6m a year for the Reading Together programme, $1.6m a year for study support centres and about $4m from the greater Christchurch renewal programme. A further $2m a year was saved by cutting a classroom set-up and vandalism grant for schools. The Budget said the net five-year impact of the funding cuts and increases was $1.69b. Last year's Budget reprioritised $429m over four years. Tertiary funding rises The Budget boosted the government's subsidies for enrolments in tertiary courses next year by 3 percent – but only in some subject areas such as science, teacher education and health – at a total cost of $213m over four years. Enrolments in science, technology, engineering and maths (the STEM subjects) at degree-level and above would attract a further 1.75 percent, increase at a cost of $64m. The Budget also included $111m over four years to cover expected enrolment growth in 2025 and 2026. The government said it also proposed allowing tertiary institutes to raise the fees they charged domestic students by up to 6 percent next year 'to further help providers manage cost pressures and maintain quality delivery'. Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds said there would also be funding for two years starting next year to help polytechnics transition to independence from mega-institute Te Pukenga. The figure was not specified. There would also be $30m a year for the new Industry Skills Boards, which would replace Workforce Development Councils, plus one-off funding of $10m to help with establishment costs. Overall tertiary spending would total $3.8b next year.
