Why David Seymour should step aside as Associate Education Minister - Alwyn Poole
Article is behind the NZ Herald paywall - but some highlights below. We are still process that Seymour yesterday said he was wrong in constantly saying their was going to be 15 Charter Schools starting in 2025 - there will only be seven - and the first is an Australian company proposing to teach NZ Year 0 - 5. They have never done those age groups before and have no experience with Maori or Pasifika students.
Why David Seymour should step aside as Associate Education Minister - Alwyn Poole
I have known David Seymour for 10 years through my leadership of a private school in Epsom and as a co-founder of two charter schools judged highly successful by external evaluators.
We rarely agree and I have expressed concerns that I do not believe he has in-depth knowledge about the problems or solutions for education in New Zealand. This is most obvious with Māori, Pasifika and poorer students ...
Seymour is Associate Minister of Education. One role he has is to improve attendance. Last week, the data for term three of 2024 was released. Only 51.3% of students fully attended (9 days in 10). For Pasifika it was 39.5%, for Māori 37.5%. For high equity index schools (low decile) it was 35%.
With huge opposition to his Treaty Principle Bill — particularly by Māori .... [Seymour] is now the wrong person and should consider standing aside from this responsibility.
[My company Education 710+ chose to] apply for four charter schools. International research strongly supports multiple provision by a single entity.
What has followed has been a bizarre process — significantly worse than 2013/14 and worse than the transition of charter schools to designated character schools in 2018 under Hipkins.
[By the Authorisation Board] we were ... not asked a single question and, unlike many other applicants, did not have the opportunity to present in an interview and hear the undisclosed criteria.
... we were not offered a single contract.
[Seymour] told Newstalk ZB there was only funding for 15 schools. It is, in fact, 50 and the agency clearly stated that the ratio between new and converting state schools is not fixed. Few state schools appear interested in becoming charter schools and none of the previous charters have returned — preferring the designated character model.
He should consider handing over the education responsibility to someone with greater knowledge in the problem areas as well as the attention and energy to create the deeply needed success of the model.
Alwyn Poole
alwyn.poole@gmail.com
Innovative Education Consultants Ltd
Education 710+ Ltd
(both sites currently being re-done)
alwynpoole.substack.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alwyn-poole-16b02151/