MINISTER'S INTRODUCTION
Seasons greetings.
This will be the last issue of Wise Up for the year. Thank you for all the
feedback to issues raised in this newsletter. One of the nice things about
e-mail correspondence is that people do take the time to throw bouquets as
well as brickbats. I've also appreciated how constructive many of your
responses have been.
I'm not only looking forward to a break over the Christmas period, but am
thinking about what lies ahead in 2002.
Obviously the election is a big event for me, but within the education
sector there are a lot of exciting changes that I will also be following
closely.
The Teachers' Council will be established early in the new year, equity
funding will be introduced to the early childhood sector, and the first
students will be assessed under the NCEA.
At the beginning of next year, first time principals will take part in the
first of the principal induction programmes.
I recently visited a meeting of the principals' development reference
group. This reference group is overseeing and giving advice on the new
induction programme and the development of the principals' electronic
network. The group was very enthusiastic about the work that is going on.
The current plan is for the induction programme to include four residential
courses in each of the major term breaks. There will also be on-going
facilitator support during term time, and links with other participants via
the principals' electronic network. Representatives from Ultralab, the
company that runs a principals' network called Talking Heads in the UK,
also attended the meeting and are assisting with the development of this
network in New Zealand.
The modules are being designed so that the work will be directly relevant
and useful to principals' work in schools. While the induction programme
does require a time commitment during parts of the four school holiday
periods, I believe that is preferable to taking people away from their
schools during term time. The programme should in fact reduce workload and
stress. I look forward to hearing the reports back from the people who
begin the course next year.h
Trevor Mallard Minister of Education
AGREEMENT BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND PPTA
Government negotiators and the Post Primary Teachers' Association have
reached an agreement to settle the secondary teachers' collective
agreement.
The package for settlement was finalised yesterday and will be put to PPTA
members for ratification early in the first term of next year.
It includes provision for guaranteed non-contact time.
Trevor Mallard said the package for settlement would provide for a positive
start to the new school year.
"I am especially heartened by the agreement that the PPTA will work
co-operatively with government to help teacher recruitment and retention.
Both teachers and the government want quality education in secondary
schools and addressing the teacher supply issue together will help secure
future quality," Trevor Mallard said.
More details available at:
www.executive.govt.nz
UPDATE ON MODERN APPRENTICES
The number of Modern Apprentices signed up under the Government's flagship
programme has risen 35% since June.
The Modern Apprenticeships scheme is a key part of the Industry Training
Strategy and was introduced to improve access to structured industry
training for young people aged 16-21. It was piloted in selected industries
and regions during 2000 and then rolled out nationwide at the beginning of
the year. Numbers in training have grown steadily ever since.
Associate Education Minister Steve Maharey said there are now 1,640 Modern
Apprentices in training, up from 1,212 at 30 June to 1,640 at 30 September
2001. The Government wants to have 3,000 Modern Apprentices on the job by
the end of 2002.
"The strength of Modern Apprenticeships is that it proactively matches
young people with a ton of potential with highly-skilled and committed
employers. That's proving to be a winning combination for businesses and
communities all over the country, so this rapid growth is very
encouraging," Steve Maharey said.
ONLINE AWARD CEREMONY
Maori Affairs and Associate Education Minister Parekura Horomia has
presented the Laptop Company "Awards for Excellence" to 10 Maori secondary
school teachers in an online presentation ceremony involving nine video
conferencing sites around the country.
The awards were to teachers who participated in the Hiringa i te Mahara ICT
professional development programme for 2001. 200 Maori secondary school
teachers have participated in the programme over the past three years. The
programme provides teachers with a mix of ICT 'tools' including a laptop, a
polygram for audio conferencing and six months of on-line training with the
aim of alleviating workload pressures through building their capability and
competencies in computing technology.
CONTACTS AND SUBSCRIPTION
Hon Trevor Mallard, Minister of Education
Fax: 04 495 8448 e-mail: tmallard@ministers.govt.nz
Hon Steve Maharey, Associate Minister of Education (tertiary)
Fax: 04 495 8443 e-mail: smaharey@ministers.govt.nz
Hon Lianne Dalziel, Associate Minister of Education
Fax: 04 495 8463 e-mail: ldalziel@ministers.govt.nz
Hon Parekura Horomia, Associate Minister of Education (Maori education)
Fax: 04 495 8457 e-mail: phoromia@ministers.govt.nz
Hon Marian Hobbs, Associate Minister of Education
Fax: 04 495 8467 e-mail: mhobbs@ministers.govt.nz
Or check out the file of press statements and speeches from all ministers at www.executive.govt.nz
