JC: Charter Schools Offer Choice and Chance

Tinetti has produced precious little evidence to back up her sweeping claims that charter schools are bad for children and their learning. She is simply parroting the union position.

Jan Tinetti popped up on Q+A with Jack Tame a few weeks ago with yet another announcement that will ensure Labour MP posteriors will continue warming the exact same leather upholstery they are now. Labour appear to have a preternatural death wish to remain as His Majesty’s Opposition. If His Majesty were aware of this fact he would no doubt be happy that his subjects in New Zealand will not be subject to a further period of Labour’s largesse anytime soon. He’s currently getting a dose of what that looks like in his own country. But I digress.

Alwyn Poole: Tinetti Simply Appalling on Education

The Hipkins/Tinetti 6-year education combination has left a huge amount of NZ young people in a deep hole. The state of our literacy & numeracy for children has been well canvassed (although Tinetti tries to say 2/5 doing okay is not so bad. Hipkins just blamed National Standards – a measurement tool – not a teaching one).

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 5/9/23

Govt could do better at rounding up truants – and at ensuring all students have something to show for their schooling

The country’s hard-working ministers – and their not-so-hard-working colleagues – perhaps are out on the campaign trail, doing their bit to secure the government’s re-election. That would explain the absence of new announcements, pronouncements or pontifications when Point of Order checked the government’s official website for news early this morning.

What to do?

Point of Order: How daft is the draft?

Educationalists concoct a science curriculum without chemistry, physics or biology

The outlook for education and science in this country is looking grim, according to our newspaper and blog reading this morning.

Kiwiblog features an article by Alwyn Poole headed The Real Apology that should come from Tinetti (and Hipkins).

Cam Slater: The Bus Ticket Was Pre-soaked

Predictably the Labour-stacked Privileges Committee has only made Jan Tinetti apologise for her dodgy behaviour in handling Official Information Act requests, instead of censuring her or holding her in contempt of Parliament.

Peter Wilson: Week in Politics: Chris Hipkins' worst week

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' problems with his ministers just go on and on, and this week was the worst he has had since taking over from Jacinda Ardern.

The revelation that Transport Minister Michael Wood held shares in Auckland Airport while he was responsible for aviation issues was an open invitation for opposition parties to put the boot in, and they did.

It was quite a kicking, and Hipkins faced an excruciating question time on Wednesday.

Jacqui Van Der Kaay: The privilege of power

Yesterday’s hour-long inquiry by Parliament’s Privileges Committee into whether Education Minister Jan Tinetti misled the House or not must have felt a lot longer than that for her.

Tinetti was called before the committee by Parliament’s speaker for telling the House that she didn’t have a role in releasing the Ministry of Education’s school truancy data, when she actually did.

Jacqui Van Der Kaay: Why Parliament’s rules matter

It could be easy to shrug away Education Minister Jan Tinetti’s referral to the Privileges Committee as just another example of a Minister not following the rules of Parliament. But its significance should be recognised in the fact it is only the second time since 2008 that a Member of Parliament has been referred to the committee.

The cause of the referral is the Minister’s actions but at the heart of it is upholding the integrity of New Zealand’s Parliament.

Mike Hosking: Jan Tinetti represents shoddy government leadership

If you are a regular to this show, then you will know my interest in the Jan Tinetti scandal.

There is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind, or I suspect anyone who has followed this, that she misled Parliament.

It has been going on for several weeks now and her conduct has, at last, caught up with her.

You could argue this is a bit beltway - and it is.

Point of Order: Tinetti goes back to school after her truancy numbers are questioned in Parliament

Education Minister Jan Tinetti no doubt welcomed the opportunity to go back to school after being tested on a few portfolio issues at Question Time in Parliament.

She popped up at Puketapu School in Napier yesterday to say the Government would repair and rebuild damaged education infrastructure, and to praise local education heroes

Cam Slater: This Will Leave You Dumbfounded

Words fail me. This has to be both the worst performance by a minister in this failed regime, and the best performance by a Speaker. The whole charade will leave you dumbfounded.

Michael Johnston: Credit where credit is due

The New Zealand Initiative has been a trenchant critic of the way literacy is currently taught in New Zealand’s schools. The Ministry of Education has, for far too long, promoted manifestly ineffective approaches.

Today, though, we have occasion to be celebratory. But first, some background.