• genuine commitment to consultations and engagement with the education sector as an integral part of the policy process

• better co-ordination of the processes of change, particularly among the education agencies

• sensitivity to the impact that the extent and speed of changes can have

• emphasis on more effective regulation to minimise compliance costs.

Given its commitment to consultation, the Government recognises that it is important that everyone within the education and wider communities can see the shape of the Government's thinking on an issue, and be able to make their views known before final decisions are made. The Government is therefore extending consultation by releasing what are traditionally known as "Green Papers", as well as discussion papers. A Green Paper sets out the Government's thinking on an issue, along with the assumptions and reasoning on which this is based. A discussion paper, by contrast, raises issues for consideration and submission.

GREEN PAPERS
Green Papers are being prepared on qualifications policy, tertiary education and training, and teacher education. The likely timeframe for their release over the next few months is:

The process of consultation has several steps.

• Stakeholders and the general public will be invited to make submissions on the issues raised. The period for submissions depends on what is involved, although generally those interested in making submissions will have about three months after the release of the Green Paper to do so. There may also be consultation meetings. The Government is keen that the full range of opinions and ideas are canvassed before decisions are made.

• After a set date, the submissions will be analysed.

• The views and outcomes from the submissions will be reported to the Cabinet through Ministers, together with options and recommendations for any changes.

• The Cabinet's decisions will be announced and incorporated into a report, including details of policies and issues of implementation. Each report will be released in the form of a "White Paper" which fully explains the final Government policy decisions. It may be necessary to have a further round of consultations before final decisions are made, depending on developments during the earlier consultation.

OTHER PAPERS
Discussion papers are being prepared on an education strategy for Maori (a joint initiative with Te Puni Kokiri), and national assessment policy.

• The discussion paper on an education strategy for Maori is expected to be released in September 1997. It will invite submissions and discussion on issues as a basis for developing the Government's position.

• The paper on national assessment policy is expected to be distributed before June 1998.

As well as the key policy initiatives outlined in this document, the Government will review and update the Education Act 1989. This is intended to look at the whole Act with several objectives in mind, including simplification. It is best managed as a continuing project, tackled in stages, with consultation papers on some aspects. As far as the major issues for policy development described later are concerned, the review will follow once they are resolved.

As work progresses, and depending on other pressures, the dates given above may need to be revised. A brief description of each consultation paper and of some other key policy development activities follows.

DETAILS ON CONSULTATIONS

QUALIFICATIONS POLICY: NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK
The social and economic needs of a modern society require a flexible and cumulative qualifications framework that recognises achievement over a diverse range of subjects and levels, from practical to academic, and acknowledges that education and training can take place in different institutions and at different times in a person's life.

The development of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to date has been intended to provide students and employers with a consistent assurance of the value of skills and knowledge inherent in a qualification. It is also intended to make qualifications easier to compare, and improve portability by making clearer the linkages between them.

While most people accept as valid the concepts behind the NQF, some significant concerns have been raised at both a policy and technical level, including compliance costs. The Green Paper, which will be released for consultation shortly, addresses those issues and proposes a future direction for the NQF.

TEACHER EDUCATION REVIEW
The supply of a quality teaching workforce is vital in meeting the Government's objectives for education. Teacher quality depends on attracting people with the right qualities, and then giving them access to appropriate pre-service training and continuing professional development. Already more teachers are qualifying to degree level. For the future, more flexibility and different routes for entering the teaching profession are possible - for example, more mature people may wish to enter the profession.

During the past decade, teacher education requirements have changed, especially in how and when it is provided. School structures are changing, along with the demands of teaching itself, in response to a diversifying student population with different expectations of schools, and to technological and economic developments. Changing curriculum, qualifications, assessment and administration requirements have also affected the teaching profession. Several new providers of teacher education have emerged, the teaching profession is ageing, and more primary teachers have degrees.

Continuing professional development of teachers is essential to maintaining professional standards. The Government recognises the importance of this by providing an estimated $70 million per annum for it. This resource must work to achieve the maximum benefit. Priority should be given to the development of teachers that supports successful and stimulating implementation of the national curriculum for young people. Those who aspire to senior positions in school management must also have access to appropriate training in the demands of those positions, including the implementation of modern performance management systems within schools.

Several groups have raised concerns about teacher education, including entry requirements, the content of training, the extent of the practical element in training, and quality assurance mechanisms. A comprehensive review of pre-service and in-service teacher education will consider those concerns, together with the most efficient and effective options for delivering a reliable supply of high-quality teachers and a flexible and adaptable teaching service which meets the needs of students. The review will also consider the route for mature candidates to enter the teaching profession.

TERTIARY EDUCATION REVIEW
In recent years there has been rapid growth in the number of students moving from schools into institutions of higher learning, as well as in the number of adults seeking to further their education or enhance their skills. The sector has responded in various ways. Significant growth has occurred not only in the traditional providers, but in the number of private training providers, international linkages, and institutions offering distance learning. The boundaries have blurred between schools and tertiary institutions, and between universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and private training establishments. Students have enjoyed a wider range of choices.

The Coalition Agreement committed the Government to a comprehensive review of current tertiary policy. The review will assess how far current tertiary arrangements meet the future needs of students, employers and society generally. It will establish the best possible mix of quality, quantity and range in post-school education to provide the optimum value for the considerable ongoing taxpayer investment in the tertiary sector. The key objective is to improve the current funding, regulatory, structural and administrative arrangements of the sector. We must:

• assure provider responsiveness to the education and training needs of students to meet New Zealand's future social and economic needs, including those of employers and the labour market

• improve the efficiency of delivering educational opportunities at all levels, from internationally respected quality post-graduate education, through to mass post- compulsory education and training

• improve access to educational opportunities

• increase the responsiveness, efficiency, accountability and quality of the learning opportunities available in tertiary education, thus providing greater assurance of the quality and value of educational outcomes for the Government, students and employers

• assure more effective management of Crown-owned tertiary institutions, including managing the risks to the Crown that would be presented by any inadequacies in their performance.

EDUCATION STRATEGY FOR MAORI
While significant numbers of Maori achieve well in the education system, far too many do not. A key issue for New Zealand's economic and social development is that the present disparities and gaps in participation, retention and achievement are progressively eliminated. Over the next year the Government will work with Maori and the wider community to develop an education strategy designed both to raise Maori educational levels to match those of other New Zealanders, and to support the maintenance of Maori language and culture. The development of the strategy will include a series of regional meetings towards the end of 1997.

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT POLICY
The Ministry of Education is currently considering national benchmark assessment for all students at key transition points as part of its national assessment policy. The Government believes that schools need information on student achievement which allows them to assess how well their students are achieving compared with external reference points, such as norms or benchmarks, so that they can enhance their management of the curriculum. It is proposed that the options will be presented in a public discussion paper to be distributed for comment before June 1998.

REVIEW OF THE EDUCATION REVIEW OFFICE
The Coalition Agreement commits the Government to a review of the Education Review Office (ERO). While previously ERO was one of the parcel of portfolios held by the Minister of Education, since the formation of the Coalition Government the portfolio has been held by another Minister.

The role of ERO is to evaluate the performance of schools in the context of their Charter (the contract between the Crown and the school specifying its aim and objectives and the various regulations governing its provision of education). The review aims to assess how far the current evaluation system contributes to achieving the best outcomes from New Zealand schools, and to recommend refinements and improvements.

Unlike the other policy reviews, this is a review of a government department. It will therefore be carried out by an independent panel whose terms of reference require it to consult with stakeholders. The details of the process of consultation will be determined by the panel itself.

REVIEW OF THE EDUCATION ACT
The regulation of the education sector is currently spread across a number of Acts and regulations, and some key policy initiatives are not yet supported by legislation. The major Act (the Education Act 1989) was built on earlier legislation, and incorporates numerous amendments associated with the education reforms of 1989, 1990 and later. As a result, it is a large and complex Act affecting all parts of the education sector. The Government is concerned to ensure that education legislation does not impose unnecessary compliance costs on institutions, nor unduly discourage innovation.

The review of the Education Act 1989 aims to: give legislative support to Government policy; eliminate unnecessary regulation; provide a general legislative base for supporting a responsive education system; reduce compliance costs for the sector; and ensure that the legislation can be readily understood. The review will also consider how far seeking higher standards through regulation and accountability requirements poses barriers to supply, participation, involvement, and self-management.

Where the major issues for policy development described in this document require changes to legislation, the timing for the review of the Education Act will depend on when the policy work is completed. It is also proposed to work through the whole Act in stages as a continuing project. This review may lead to further consultation documents. If so, a widespread consultation process similar will be followed.

OTHER POLICY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

TEACHER WORKLOAD REVIEW
The school sector advocacy groups have raised concerns about the workload of teachers. The Ministerial Consultative Group on Teacher Workload was established last year to address this matter. At the request of the various groups, work in the consultative forum has focused on the situation of Maori teachers, teaching principals, and compliance issues.

In giving serious attention to those concerns, the Government is considering a range of responses. Some will involve additional resourcing, considered in the context of the demands on the sector as a whole. Others are designed to lessen the load by simplifying compliance requirements. These include looking at the pace with which new initiatives are introduced and the professional development necessary to support them, and examining ways to limit classroom disruption by addressing the needs of students with behavioural and learning difficulties. Also important is developing a better picture and understanding of best practice within the sector.

UNIFIED PAY SYSTEM WITHIN AN INTEGRATED TEACHING SERVICE
The Government is committed to the principle of developing a unified pay system within an integrated teaching service. An integrated service involves a common framework for quality, professional development, career paths, and remuneration across the school sector. Within such a service, pay is not determined by which part of the system a teacher works in. Rather, differences in pay should reflect differences in qualifications, experience, specific responsibilities, performance, and difficulties in recruiting teachers in particular locations or subjects.

An integrated teaching service has to be implemented through employment contract negotiations. These contracts will determine in practice how responsive the pay system is to different needs at different points. A Working Group on the unified pay system, chaired by the Secretary for Education, is meeting regularly. It has been working with representatives from throughout the sector, although from March 1997 the PPTA has chosen to withdraw, thus limiting secondary sector input. The Group recently released a discussion document identifying the key issues, and is now addressing the design of a new system. The Group will complete its work by the beginning of July, allowing time to prepare for the ensuing contract negotiations.

PROPERTY CAPABILITY
The Ministry of Education manages a property portfolio worth in excess of $4 billion. Moreover, it will grow significantly in the next few years as the major capital works programme of expansion and upgrading for mainstream and alternative schools, including kura kaupapa Maori, is implemented. Roll growth ( both local and national), technological change and curriculum development all require the need for a significant amount of extra accommodation.

The Government recognises the need for up-to-date accommodation codes. These are under review, with the primary code almost completed and the secondary code well advanced. The Government will explore ways in which schools can make better use of the capital assets. As part of a strategy to ensure effective planning and management of the property portfolio and capital works, the Secretary for Education is undertaking a comprehensive review of the Ministry of Education's property capacity.

CONCLUSION

Reforms arising from the co-ordinated reviews and initiatives outlined here should ensure that all New Zealanders have increasing access to satisfying, lifelong educational opportunities and experiences, and are able to achieve their potential.

 

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