great to be able to make a contribution.
Confirmation and Validation) Bill. As
Confirmation and Validation) Bill. As the mother of two daughters, one
at primary school and
one who just started high
started high school, Iwould like the best
the best education for both of them. As
As
responsibility to ensure the best education for every
responsibility to ensure the best education for every single child
in Aotearoa New Zealand
regardless of where
where they live, regardless of the
parents and regardless of their parents
ethnicity. But as a result of National's
National's approach to education, all of our
children in this country are
are not getting the education that they
they need and deserve. The best Idy Kator of a
social success is its investment in education. However, when we look at
the compulsory education sector,
there is a real disconnect between
the rhetoric
the
current National Government and the facts
facts on schooling. As my colleague Chris
Chris Hipkins discussed earlier on, when
when we look at our international test scores for
PISA, we have continued
continued to decline. When we look at
masts and science and we compare it to 2015, we
are at the lowest level for PISA test scores.
I agree with a lot
lot of the comments that my colleague Tracey Martin said
about funding.
there is a lot more investment in education
education but, Mr Chair, when we look
child in this country for education, we know that it has decreased and we
know that also over the last weekend the
the outgoing Minister of Education did not deny that the per student
country has actually decreased. This National
National Government tells us that they invest a lot more in education
expect there to be a lot more investment in children. If you ask a
from schools across New Zealand, many of them
will tell you that they are
are struggling to make ends meet at school and for parents they
are struggling to
struggling to make ends meet to make sure they student
have school uniform and school stationary
for all of
uniform and school stationary for
their children. National has made this
this worse by freezing the national funding for every school.
1,300 schools
by this and can I say that for South Auckland, ands so many of my schools
are
are affected by this. We are told
are affected by this. We are told this new way of funding is supposed
to be better but
how can it be better when we heard NZEI made a
better when we heard NZEI made a
price in funding is worth halfa sandwich
sandwich per child per week because it
sandwich per child per week because
is what we are told is better funding for our children.
The consequence of the current funding
is actually
is actually under investment in education. Iwill
education. I will give you these three
three examples. When we look at teacher supply,
teacher supply, we have a teacher supply crisis.
supply crisis. Let's Luke at Auckland.
Many of the schools in Auckland are struggling
the teachers in Auckland are looking to
to move out of Auckland because they can no longer
Auckland and teach at the same time. When
When we look at support staff, we know
When we look at support staff, we knowjust yesterday a
know just yesterday a lot of the Members
Members of Parliament shadowed suppon
Members of Parliament shadowed support staff and
support staff are facing. Because support staff are
supposed to be funded
funded from operational grants, the very same operational grants that
have been frozen. So many
of the schools
schools are struggling to be able to afford
afford to high support staff or to pay them what they are truly worth.
Pafrntal
contributions are said to have increased by
contributions are said to have
took office. We must do better for every
Mr Chair, thank you nor the opportunity.
opportunity. I want to talk about science
which is part of the discussion today in particular.
I've come from opening a conference
for one
for one of the national science challenge.
challenge. It means