Key: Govt already tackling education issues

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Key rejects Shearer's education plans

3News NZ

Mr Key says schools in low socio-economic areas don't need free food

Mr Key says schools in low socio-economic areas don't need free food

By 3 News online staff / RadioLIVE

Labour Leader David Shearer wants to stop pupils slipping through the net as he reveals his ideas to improve education.

In a speech to parents in Auckland yesterday afternoon, Mr Shearer said he was committed to providing the world's best education in local schools.

Initiatives include providing children with food in school, and rolling out reading recovery to all schools.

"That means that kids that slip behind in their reading get the assistance they need to be able catch up, so they don't end up going through school and eventually dropping out."

The free lunches would be provided in students at decile one, two and three schools, and would cost $19 million. The Reading Recovery plan would cost $20 million.

Mr Shearer also wants to provide parents with school report cards, instead of league tables, and develop new ideas to bridge the gap between the classroom and workforce.

"I don't need to know whether my school is better than the one across town, based on a bunch of shonky figures that even [Prime Minister] John Key says are dopey," said Mr Shearer.

But Mr Key says the Government has already advocated a similar scheme, which Labour didn’t support.

"He wasn't there supporting me when I was talking about exactly those issues and the teacher unions were attacking us," says Mr Key.

"So let's see how brave he is when he wanders off to the NZEI and the PPTA."
Mr Key says national standards and a quasi-league table scheme will resolve all the issues Mr Shearer is raising, and that making a commitment to provide free lunch to every student at a decile one-to-three school is going too far.

The Government's own statistics show more than 80,000 children often go without breakfast.

"New Zealand is now more unequal than it ever has been," says David Shearer. "That's a disgrace and eradicating the causes of poverty will be a priority of the next Labour Government."

RadioLIVE / 3 News

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Comments

10/09/2012 8:41:27 p.m.

David wrote:

@David Yet what you are talking about is the minority of cases... the majority of cases are true cases of hardship and poverty. The PECD has shown that New Zealand has the biggest wealth gap in the developed world.. it lists two causes... top earner tax cuts and attack on welfare systems. Both of course are things National have done. Going even further back... academics domestically and internationally all agree that true poverty became entrenched in New Zealand as a result of Nationals attacks on beneficiaries in the 1990's Its hard to escape reality and the reality is National are the biggest cause of inequality in the country... not bad parents... though a small portion of bad parents do contribute to the problem.

10/09/2012 7:46:32 p.m.

David wrote:

I think we should be investing more resources into getting parents into providing for their children by their own means rather than look to the taxpayer to supply provisions such as food. Poverty has a multitude of courses, and some of their boil down to poor decisions being made, neglect, drugs and alcohol, etc. The taxpayer has every right to complain when their hard earned dollars are being squandered on reckless, irresponsible parents who abuse their kids by confining them to a life of poverty. Which is sad for all parties, really.

10/09/2012 6:25:35 p.m.

Alex wrote:

Shannon: You are a far better person by light years than Mike will ever be.

10/09/2012 6:19:30 p.m.

David wrote:

@Wiseacre, I got sick of Mike lieing over and over again. In just about every post he made for ages he kept saying "labour gave 29 Billion dollars of tax payer funds to Bernard Madoff" so I said... proof Mike, where is it. And of course I got nothing. When you ask him to prove his lies he runs off and hides his tail between his legs. He was just as bad when he posted under the name Mouthguard and Alien. He hates Maori, doesnt think poor people exist, thinks women deserve to be paid less because they have a period. Mike is a true, staunch National Party supporter... to his racist, elitest, sexist, elitest lieing bigotted core. I do wonder when TV3 will quality check their posters and ban people like Mike for their blatant lies.

10/09/2012 6:07:29 p.m.

Shannon wrote:

People like Mike really piss me off! I hold 2 uni degree's & for the past 3yrs have been unable to even get an interview for a cleaners job. We can't afford to move or live in any of the larger town's or city's where I would likely gain employment. We are a low income family of 4 and my children are ALWAYS fed (even if I have to go without which is becoming more common). Our problem is not living within our means, our problem is the cost of living keeps rising. EG in the past 2mths our electricty/gas has risen from $110 p/mth to $190 p/mth. Nothing has changed in our household our supplier says we are just using more power & "whats my number" tells us as are already with the cheapest supplier. I spend $200 per f/night on groceries (fruit, veg, meat, milk, bread etc) but it seems like there is less and less in the trolley. We don't eat takeaway, go to the movies, have internet, go on holidays etc. We are down to 1 vehicle & house insurance is all we have left & that is our luxury. We rely on working for families & the accommodation supplement. Mike these "welfare" payments are not a safety net...they are our LIFELINE. It makes me sick to hear people complain they are "struggling" yet they have 2 houses, all the insurances including life & health & savings in the bank. It makes me sick when I hear people moan about not being eligible for child care subsidy. Geez I would be over the moon if they were my problems. I hate that my family is stereotyped by the likes of Mike as scum who don't care for their kids or their health, who don't parent, can't budget & piss their welfare payments up the wall. We may live in a rundown old house, drive a crappy old car & wear second hand clothing but my kids are always fed and bathed and helped as much as we can. We do care, we do want and strive for a better situation. The rising cost of living is the issue! Investing in free lunches for children in decile 1-3 would be money well spent but certainly won't solve the problem.

10/09/2012 5:38:36 p.m.

Alex wrote:

Hey Wiseacre, solidarity! You might've heard of him, but there's a guy called David Harvey who says a lot of things you might be interested in judging from your posts - exploitation, the nature of capital, poverty, economic crisis etc. If you google his name his website's the first result. He's written a lot of books too.

10/09/2012 5:28:18 p.m.

Alex wrote:

on what planet is giving food to hungry kids "going too far," john key? seriously, what.

10/09/2012 3:50:53 p.m.

Wiseacre wrote:

@MIKE - Stop misrepresenting what I've said and the facts I've pointed out. I have never called for a 50% increase in the minimum wage. I'd recommend some remedial maths classes for you, but National gutted Adult & Community Education. I have called for the minimum wage to be immediately increased to $16/hour, and then over the next three years to progressively bring it up to, and legislatively lock it in at 2/3's of the average wage. The minimum wage is currently $13.50; the average wage is $27. Based on those figures my proposal would, over time, bring the minimum wage up to $18.00 - an increase of $4.50, or 33%. But the important thing is to tie it to the average wage. If the average wage goes up, everyone goes up. If CEO's want enormous pay rises, they should be prepared to bring their workers up with them. It's about tackling & reducing inequality. The minimum wage used to be approximately 80% of the average/mean wage. Since the neo-liberal *reforms* of the '80s & '90s the minimum wage has DROPPED to 50% of the average/mean wage, making New Zealand one of the most unequal societies in the OECD. The minimum wage today is nowhere near the mean/average wage. Of course, you know this as I have had to point it out to you on a number of occasions. But you prefer to deceive with deceptive misinformation. Pathetic. And when you descend to name-calling, you relinquish all credibility and invite nothing but disdain in return.

10/09/2012 3:42:37 p.m.

David wrote:

What we have with you Mike is a man who commonly uses baseless accusation, overgeneralisations, and steereotypes. The fact is under National if you do fail you can most likely expect a bailout. If you fail at life then there is no guarantee of anything except a jail cell or a home under a bridge. Many time on this sites you have made horrible accusations against people, with no supporting evidence just a heart full of hatred. The reality is housing in New Zealand is expensive, infact its more than a benefit is.. you think people chose to live on a benefit as a life choice, you think all beneficiaries smoke, drink do drugs and beat there kids. If there is a problem in New Zealand society is bigots like yourself who accuse people of nasty things with no proof whatsoever. you are what is commonly referred to as a waste of time and energy. your posts are utter tripe.. wholey unsupported by facts... just because you have seen the occassional beneficiary smoke, or drink or do drugs... just as many people who dont receive a benefit do the same thing. I think personally that the biggest waste of space in the country is people like you who just love to hate for no reason.

10/09/2012 3:18:18 p.m.

David wrote:

Its funny that Mike is slamming Labour for making New Zealands education system the second best in the world. I get the feeling the he just sees the word labour and starts frothing like a madman. As he knows... Nationals response to Sanlu would have been far worse than Labours... he will just never admitt it.