ACT welcomes restoration of education’s core purpose

ACT Education spokesperson Laura McClure is welcoming the passage of the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 2) at third reading, saying the changes put students’ learning and teachers’ time back at the centre of schooling.

The Bill:

• Makes educational achievement the paramount objective of schooling.

• Removes the requirement for school boards to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi.

• Introduces Attendance Management Plans to help address chronic absenteeism.

• Requires universities to adopt freedom of expression policies and report on how they uphold academic freedom.

“We are fixing the Education and Training Act that the Labour–New Zealand First Government introduced in 2020,” says McClure.

“The purpose of education is to equip children with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the 21st century – not to impose adults' political agendas onto them. Tikanga and te reo are valuable parts of New Zealand’s heritage, but they shouldn’t come at the expense of the basics. Lifting literacy and numeracy is the priority.

“Of course, kids can't learn the basics if they don't show up. Every day a student misses school is a day they miss out on opportunities to learn, grow, and progress. We need a culture where attendance is the norm. Attendance Management Plans will support schools and families to identify issues early and get kids back into classrooms.”

ACT Tertiary Education spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says the changes requiring universities to adopt and report on freedom of expression policies will help restore their role as places of open inquiry.

“The whole point of academia is that ideas can be aired freely and challenged,” says Parmar.

“If students want to invite a speaker to campus, they should be able to. Taxpayers don’t fund universities to shield students from difficult or unpopular ideas. These changes help ensure universities return to being places of debate, discovery, and intellectual resilience.”