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Reading at home vital in low-decile areas

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Reading at home vital in low-decile areas

3News NZ

Otahuhu College principal Gil Laurenson says family support is crucial, particularly reading books together

Otahuhu College principal Gil Laurenson says family support is crucial, particularly reading books together

Reading at home is being seen as the key to improving educational achievements in low-decile areas.

A meeting is being held in South Auckland today to look at the effect of poverty on children's education and the needs of Maori and Pasifika learners.

Otahuhu College principal Gil Laurenson says family support is crucial, particularly reading books together.

“We can improve a whole lot of things, but sooner or later we come up against a barrier, which is literacy,” he says. “That’s the thing that we have to focus on a huge amount. So the more work that’s done in terms of that in homes, in families, the better off we’ll be.”

Mr Laurenson says early childhood education is also vital.

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Comments

17/10/2012 1:06:13 a.m.

Seumanutafa wrote:

Hey ERM are you sure you know what you are talking about?? My three children attend a decile one school and the principal spends alot of the fund raising money on books,reading programmes and subsidising trips to the theatre, drama groups coming to perform and so forth. By year six my eldest son won a full shcolarship to a private school as a result of the brilliant principal and staff reading curriculum. His reading age went up 2.5 years in one year.

16/09/2012 9:18:24 p.m.

pondering wrote:

It is not so much about funding. It more about equal distribution and access to resources and facilities. That is severely lacking in those suburbs. Co incidently there are also very few pubs in that high population area.

16/09/2012 6:00:44 p.m.

S wrote:

Each child in NZ deserves equal right to the same amount of funding for their education.

16/09/2012 4:44:25 p.m.

DIMIT wrote:

@book worm wrote:Totally agree with you.I left the area around 12 years ago..but I can confirm People in Counties Manukau are extremely hard working & loving People & Parents!The Majority are not trapped in POVERTY because of "BAD CHOICES"! high Social decay indicators are all people choose to see, they are consistent with stress, struggling to survive.The exploitation of people in these areas is unbelievable.With this Govts attitude & policies I can see the suffering there, It's just so sad. More resources are required in these areas:more one on one remedial literacy numeracy,help with dyslexia.We could do so much more for our people, especially our children!(A good investment) It's just Capitalism is more important. Society should be about putting the needs of People First (everything else is secondary)

16/09/2012 12:50:44 p.m.

Erm... wrote:

Low decile schools already get more financing than other schools. Trouble is they decide to spend the money on sports equipment rather than books. Once again, Principals let down the kids.

16/09/2012 12:31:44 p.m.

book worm wrote:

@Dimmit . Right on! 70% of Counties Manukau workers are in that area described. Yet it is so often claimed that all adults in that area are beneficiaries who don't provide for their kids. The spiral goes around. Inadequate unequal education creates unequal inadequate socio economic resource and greater unempowerment. This guarantees a significant pool of low wage labour that have little option.

16/09/2012 11:12:53 a.m.

DIMIT wrote:

@Book Worm.. Plus one. I grew up in that area. I'll add, another barrier for parents is "literacy" Reading at home has always been Vital in all areas.Inequality in education is consistent with socio-economic inequality. Improvement in living conditions, equality & investment in our children is Vital.I am tired of experts been used to manipulate public perception.more propaganda?!? I think the Govt is making *Bad Choices* with education. "Reading at home is being seen as the key to improving educational achievements in low-decile areas" translates to: the failure of our education system is lower socio-economic Parents making *Bad Choices* & been bad parents Early Childhood education is important. I think it would be a "good choice" for the Govt to actually invest in this area for positive outcomes, instead of using ECE as a tool to manipulate blame

16/09/2012 10:21:47 a.m.

iron side wrote:

I used to have a child that said the teacher didn't give them any book to bring home. I thought that sounded like a child's naive excuse and would check the school bag. No book. Teacher claimed when asked , that they are not putting so much emphasis on home reading now. This might explain why high schools are picking up the pieces now a decade on. @Tongue ;)maybe dock teachers pay 50%. It would give them something to think about rather than blaming parents eh.

16/09/2012 9:29:33 a.m.

alison wrote:

Yes theres books at libraries and schools but reading to children should start well before school and should be pushed more as to become a habit like teeth brushing. Reading to your child is easily incorporated into the childs bedtime routine and does an awful lot of good for extending vocabulary and understanding language. It makes the transition to reading much easier and perhaps this should be pushed by plunket and others so as to form a routine in the very early stages of a childs development.

16/09/2012 12:06:42 a.m.

Book Worm wrote:

More books in schools and in libraries in the lower decile / high child ratio suburbs. Better and extended facilities in libraries in Otahuhu Papatoetoe and Mangere. The other big issue in these areas is parents having to both work long shifts to pay the bills. This is the area where the bulk of NZ kids live. It is the area in NZ with the least child and youth related resources and facilities. Many services do not exist there at all. This is what puts families at breaking point and where the kids miss out.