Caleb Anderson: This thing we call education

By the end of the term of the previous (Labour) government, education in New Zealand had reached crisis point. Erica Stanford deserves praise for some much necessary curriculum reforms, but she is only half way there, if that.

In this opinion piece I am speaking only about curriculum reform, not about education reform more generally, which has its own set of problems.

David Lillis: Comments on the Refreshed Curriculum for Science, Technology and The Arts

Overview

The taxpaying public of New Zealand has the right to be kept aware of proposed changes to our national primary and secondary education curriculum. At this stage in its development the ‘refreshed curriculum’ is very light indeed on prescription and subject matter detail, thus requiring much work on the part of school administrators to develop their own local curricula and potentially giving rise to significant differences in content and delivery across schools and to wide variation in quality.

Further, it embeds traditional knowledge (Matauranga Māori) throughout the curriculum and across all learning areas (English, the Arts, Health and Physical Education, Learning Languages, Mathematics and Statistics, Science, Social Sciences and Technology), most probably requiring students of all ethnicities and backgrounds to spend significant class time on acquiring Matauranga Māori as truth and mastering te reo. In the opinion of many educators (and in my opinion too) both te reo and Matauranga Māori should be treasured, preserved and taught in schools, but the changes are very excessive and fail to recognise the multicultural nature of New Zealand society today.

David Lillis: Education is in Big Trouble

The Current Refresh of our National Secondary Curriculum

By now most of New Zealand’s public is aware of co-governance, Three Waters and efforts to normalize the Treaty of Waitangi as central to much of New Zealand life and society. In this multi-cultural nation that we have become, it is critical that we respect Māori, and value the good things that Matauranga Māori has achieved for Māori over centuries, but stand firmly against any movement that attempts to place one ethnic or cultural group above others. Our entire society cannot, and should not, be re-configured to enforce the world view of one small, self-identifying minority. Nor should we give ourselves over to the notion that traditional knowledge is somehow the equal of modern science.

How many of the general public are aware of what is happening in education right now? We should be deeply concerned about the refresh of the national curriculum currently in progress within the Ministry of Education and related organizations. The proposed new curriculum is referred to as Te Mātaiaho: A draft Te Tiriti-Honouring and Inclusive Curriculum Framework. We are told that Mātauranga Māori will sit at the heart of the learning areas and that key competencies, literacy and numeracy, will be woven explicitly into each learning area. (Ministry of Education, 2022a)

The New Zealand Curriculum is being refreshed in a phased approach over the next four years so that it honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and is inclusive, clear, and easy to use. Ministry of Education (2022b)

Kevin Donnelly from Australia: The aim must be a sensible, teacher-friendly curriculum

In establishing the review of the national curriculum, the Abbott government is fulfilling an election promise and, as someone who has been intimately involved in curriculum development and debates over more than 30 years, it is a privilege to be involved.

The curriculum, along with teacher quality, parenting, student motivation and ability, and a school's culture and ethos, is one of the most significant factors influencing learning outcomes. As such, it is vital that whatever curriculum is mandated by governments across Australia is academically rigorous, teacher friendly, free of bias and educationally sound.