“$30 million will fund resources including workbooks, teacher guidance and lesson plans for the 2025 school year. Resources will be available in English and te reo Māori, curriculum aligned and reflect best-practice around the OECD,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
“Just 22% of Year 8 students are at the expected standard for maths, that needs to change. That is why the Government has worked at pace to implement a new curriculum beginning in Term 1 next year. We have fantastic teachers, and we need to make sure they are equipped and feel supported to hit the ground running.
“More than half a million Year 0-8 students and their teachers will benefit from high-quality, curriculum-aligned mathematics resources in their classrooms. This alongside a new knowledge-rich curriculum will support teachers, reduce workload, and lift student achievement.”
From October 21, primary schools will be able to choose the maths resources and supports from a range of approved suppliers that best suit them and their learners. Resources will be sent to schools for the start of Term 1 next year.
To deliver this, funding has been reprioritised from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, a programme available for teachers to learn te reo Māori.
“Since 2019, $100 million has funded this initiative which isn’t accredited and more than double the cost of similar courses available. An evaluation of the programme found no evidence it directly impacted progress and achievement for students. The review also couldn’t quantify what impact the programme had on te reo Māori use in the classroom.
“This Government is committed to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and recognises the importance of the language in our schools. We will work with the Wānanga, tertiary providers and private training establishments to continue to make similar courses available free of charge. Funding for te reo Māori courses in Māori medium schools and kura will also remain.
“Just 45 percent of high school students are passing foundational maths. I am not prepared to look parents in the eye and allow the 60,000 kids starting school next year to be on a similar trajectory. Maths achievement needs to be prioritised.
“This funding shift will support high-quality instructional mathematics resources for students and teachers in te reo Māori so there is equitable access across our education system.
“This is just another part of our Make it Count Action Plan to transform maths education in New Zealand. This Government has clarity, determination and purpose to deliver an education system that sets up our children for success,” Ms Stanford says.
Erica Stanford is the Minister of Education and Minister of Immigration. She has been the National MP for East Coast Bays since the 2017 election. This article was first published HERE
“More than half a million Year 0-8 students and their teachers will benefit from high-quality, curriculum-aligned mathematics resources in their classrooms. This alongside a new knowledge-rich curriculum will support teachers, reduce workload, and lift student achievement.”
From October 21, primary schools will be able to choose the maths resources and supports from a range of approved suppliers that best suit them and their learners. Resources will be sent to schools for the start of Term 1 next year.
To deliver this, funding has been reprioritised from Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, a programme available for teachers to learn te reo Māori.
“Since 2019, $100 million has funded this initiative which isn’t accredited and more than double the cost of similar courses available. An evaluation of the programme found no evidence it directly impacted progress and achievement for students. The review also couldn’t quantify what impact the programme had on te reo Māori use in the classroom.
“This Government is committed to the revitalisation of te reo Māori and recognises the importance of the language in our schools. We will work with the Wānanga, tertiary providers and private training establishments to continue to make similar courses available free of charge. Funding for te reo Māori courses in Māori medium schools and kura will also remain.
“Just 45 percent of high school students are passing foundational maths. I am not prepared to look parents in the eye and allow the 60,000 kids starting school next year to be on a similar trajectory. Maths achievement needs to be prioritised.
“This funding shift will support high-quality instructional mathematics resources for students and teachers in te reo Māori so there is equitable access across our education system.
“This is just another part of our Make it Count Action Plan to transform maths education in New Zealand. This Government has clarity, determination and purpose to deliver an education system that sets up our children for success,” Ms Stanford says.
Erica Stanford is the Minister of Education and Minister of Immigration. She has been the National MP for East Coast Bays since the 2017 election. This article was first published HERE
9 comments:
A staggering $100 million has been blown to encourage teachers to divert effort into learning stone age hobby language te reo. A lot of money to discourage many objective souls from the profession. Meanwhile "maths" (mosty mere arithmetic) has languished. A distracting range of course material is to be made available. All that is needed is a print of 1920s books ( dumbed down for metrication) with all teachers using consisently and pupils streamed to appropriate level. Teachers will need to drop some te reo and earn their times tables instead.
Forget tte reo Māori
Teach ENGLISH !!!
Wait for the screams of racism. A word that has no meaning now.
I spent over 40 years teaching science to students in PNG, Botswana and Lebanon for whom English was a second (or third, fourth.......) language.
Lebanon was a particularly interesting case in point as the French-educated students, after a semester of adjustment to an anglophone university environment, tended to shine and were disproportionately represented every semester thereafter on the Dean's Honours List.
Botswana has a mothertongue policy at primary school. Kids for whom English was a brand new language at age 13ish were at a distinct disadvantage at high school. In PNG, Pidgin speakers tended to have an advantage in the early years of schooling in English, but the best English speakers tended to be non-Pidgin speakers at varsity.
How many NZ Maori speak Maori as a mothertongue? Very, very few, I imagine. So wherein lies the advantage in pushing Maori language as a medium for subjects such as maths?
The language policy in NZ schooling is 100% based on ideology. And I dare say it disadvantages Maori kids to be 'immersed' in the native language given that the real world out there, whether we are talking science or business, operates in English.
There would be more sense in teaching Sanskrit as it was India, speaking Sanskrit, that gave the concept of zero in mathematics.
Promises, promises from another corporate State statist. I'm from the government and I'm here to help!
The question I ask is ," Will teachers at particularly upper primary level be encouraged to learn up the arithmetic they themselves are deficient in because of also having been inadequately taught? Or will as other contributors have mentioned be so overburdened with learning Te Reo , as well, they will rebel?" There is so much more kudos attached to learning Te Reo that boring old maths will seem just too much. Who needs fractions , decimals and percentages these days anyway with calculators ? Look at the amazing professional status primary school teachers have , thanks to the
Teacher Unions, despite having zilch knowledge of basic arithmetic.
There is also a requirement to have phonic checks to improve our shocking international and national reading scores. Can teachers cope with all this ? Even more , they have been stuffed up with transgender and other critical studies by the Ministry.
What are our priorities : Education or Indoctrination? You can't have both me thinks.
Why resources in the useless stone age Te Reo. Pupils aren't competent in English. Do you expect a mathematician to communicate with anyone especially from overseas in Te Reo? It's yet another waste of taxpayers money.
As a minority language Maori must be at the lowest ranked of all minority languages. It is worth noting that English (Aviation English to be precise) is the COMPULSORY language of air traffic control, worldwide, end of story. Try selling Maori language to any international controlling agency.
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