Stories by John Gerritsen
News
Te Pūkenga told to resume cost-cutting and asset sales
Six months after ordering Te Pūkenga to stop work, the government has told it to resume cost-cutting and asset sales at its polytechnics.
Call for annual literacy and numeracy tests, cursive lessons
Proponents say the curriculum updates could case a "step-change" for education, but will fail without good teacher training.
Te Pūkenga halts standardisation of polytech degrees
The work would have made it a lot easier for students to continue studying even if they moved towns and would also save on course accreditation and approval costs.
Students stressed and panicked as uni cancels online exams
"The university is deeply disappointed by this failure of service," Massey's provost said in a message to students.
Only 15 percent of students passed attendance test
Only a fraction of pupils met the government benchmark for attendance in all four terms of 2023, new figures reveal. Audio
Should Shakespeare be compulsory at school?
Teen fans of William Shakespeare are not sure his plays should be compulsory content.
Schools use funding to keep kids 'fed, clothed'
A quarter of schools say their school needs an increase of more than $100,000 a year.
Near-new schools found to be earthquake-prone
More than a third of the country's 27 quake-prone school buildings were built in the past 20 years and include almost an entire Auckland secondary school. Audio
Education sees funding for new schools, training and cyber security
Budget 2024 includes $2.5 billion in new spending over four years for education and a further $429 million in redirected savings, most of it from the Ministry of Education.
From Shakespeare to Ihimaera: New-look English curriculum planned
Compulsory Shakespeare and grammar lessons will feature in a new-look secondary English curriculum that ranges from contemporary New Zealand authors to Chaucer and Beowulf.
Educating teachers: 'It's not just about bums on seats'
Universities warn changes to teacher education won't fix teacher shortages, and that it is not realistic to expect teachers to graduate fully prepared to work.
Children using updated Reading Recovery make double normal progress - research
A report shows the government is canning Reading Recovery just as changes to the long-standing programme have ensured it doubles young children's reading progress.
New teachers fail to make the grade on maths and science knowledge - study
Large numbers of recently-appointed primary teachers lack the most basic school qualifications, new research shows. Audio
Te Pūkenga pays $216k for advice on how to replace itself
The national institute of skills and technology is paying $2000 a day to specialist advisors looking into how to replace the mega entity.
The charter school costs that weren't counted in Seymour's $153m plan
Charter schools will likely get higher per-student funding than most state schools, and evidence of their efficacy is mixed.
Otago and Canterbury universities record deficits in 2023 - annual reports
Annual reports show Otago and Canterbury universities recorded deficits last year.
Doubts about charter schools results, figures show
Reintroduced charter schools will be tightly monitored, but a lack of transparency in reporting was a key criticism they faced last time around. Audio
Ministry already preparing to hire consultants to do work of axed staff
Staff consulting firms were already asking some of the staff being made redundant to work for them.
Why so many new teachers feel unprepared for classrooms
An Education Review Office report found graduates from some universities felt better prepared than others, as did those from courses that involved more time in the classroom.
Schools failing autistic and other neurodivergent children - report
A new report warns schools and early childhood centres are failing autistic and other neurodivergent children on an epic scale.
Public sector cuts: Teachers' prior service not taken into account
Former teachers working at the Education Ministry are angry the ministry is refusing to count their teaching service when calculating redundancy entitlements.
'Can't even stop people vaping in class': Students on the phone ban
Teachers can't even get students to stop vaping, so how will they police phones, asks one pupil.
NCEA online exam glitches: Review finds inadequate pre-tests
An independent review warns NZQA must improve its internal operating model and its partnership with the exam vendor.
Te Pūkenga's only profitable division records drop in numbers
The number of apprentices and other on-job learners in the system dropped by 16,000 in a year, but enrolments in Te Pūkenga's loss-making polytechnics have grown.