The National Party has announced plans to provide the opportunity for every child in New Zealand to learn a second language at primary school.
The election promise was made today as part of a $379 million education package, focusing on ‘stronger maths, technology and languages skills'.
'Now that the government books are in surplus, we want to invest more to help our young people embrace the tremendous opportunities New Zealand has through the next fifty years,” says Prime Minister Bill English.
'Opportunities from new technology, new ideas and ways of working, and stronger international connections.
'Nothing can replace the thousands of motivated, professional teachers. But we can improve the tools they use and the support we give them to lift educational standards.”
Education Minister Nikki Kaye says the party will invest $160 million over four years to provide schools and Communities of Learning with more expert language teachers, language specialists and online resources.
'At least 10 priority languages for the programme will be set following consultation with communities, with Mandarin, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Korean likely to be included, along with Te Reo and New Zealand Sign Language,” she says.
'It will be up to school boards to decide which languages will be taught in each school, but they will be required to offer at least one second language to their students.”
The new funding is made up of $354 million of ongoing funding over four years, plus a $25 million one-off investment in systems to extend National Standards.
National's Education Package
- Provide every primary school student the opportunity to learn a second language
- Improve the maths skills of primary school students by upskilling teachers, providing additional classroom resources like digital apps, and delivering intensive support for students who need it
- Create Digital Academies and Digital Internships to give year 12 and 13 students practical, work-based learning opportunities that are a springboard into careers in the IT sector
- Extend National Standards to provide much more detailed information about how our kids are progressing right throughout the year – information that can be accessed immediately online by children and their parents
11 comments
Very enriching for kids
Posted on 27-08-2017 16:19 | By Papamoaner
It always amazes me how kids knee high to a grasshopper, in places like Cebu, , fluently speak Tagalog, Cebuano, and English, and with some knowledge of Spanish as well. Back home, our kids only speak English, and it's an indictment on our culture (what bloody culture?) that many adults don't even want their kids to learn Te Reo. Thanks to National, something might now happen. I hope they win the election. They've got my vote.
language
Posted on 28-08-2017 07:59 | By dumbkof2
yes every child can learn another language as long as its mowree. thats what will happen
@Dumbfof2
Posted on 28-08-2017 08:39 | By Papamoaner
Bill English's announcement referred to a choice of 10 languages if I remember correctly, so maybe we ought to give them a chance before pre-judging it. I know you might not like the suggestion, but I'm thinking Te Reo is a good starting language to get kids interested. Why? Because it's possibly the easiest language in the world to learn, being more logical and sensible than most others. For example, all you need do is memorise a few words, then join them together and you've got it, Kaimoana being a classic example.
I have a .....
Posted on 28-08-2017 11:08 | By GreertonBoy
Novel idea.... how about we teach them to be able to speak, read and write ENGLISH before we start trying to get them to learn other languages? Also, teaching them basic arithmetic (without their phone to help) would also be a fantastic idea.... teaching a little respect wouldn't go astray either.... Just thinking out loud...
agree with Greeton Boy
Posted on 28-08-2017 12:54 | By old trucker
Right on the button, i was at a Super market other day, and i asked checkout young lady if she could give change out of a $50 bill with out looking at till for change,she didnt know what i ment,put in $50, and it tells you how much change, for goodness sake we do not need another language, they dont know how to speak properly now, also kids would not want too as have to look at phone all day, there are NO Teachers for this and cannot expect them to know it as well, because they (GOVT,.) will have to bring in you know who to teach it, my thoughts only on this, Sunlive, Being No1 for News is AWESOME,Thankyou, 10-4 out. phew.
Papamoaner
Posted on 28-08-2017 15:01 | By Capt_Kaveman
re Cebu in that some even in their own country have trouble talking to each other, and which american english not to helpful at times, Te Reo is only good for those that want to learn it but it will never become mainstream communication, Nat will never get my vote for the destruction they have done which Lab was also a part of
@Greerton Boy
Posted on 28-08-2017 16:11 | By Papamoaner
On the Button! Not bad for only thinking out loud as we all do. next you'll be making up stories like me - a budding tomorrow's Jules Vern or Fred Hoyle, or did you never get past Dickens? Actually, you are quite correct, but lost the plot on the cause, which was David Lange's "tomorrow's schools" Labour Government scheme of the 1980's which has produced adults in abundance, incapable of writing or spelling properly, nor can do simple mental arithmetic let alone differential calculus. (only joking about that bit). It has NOTHING to do with choices of language you silly bugger (an endearment - honestly!) Apart from reasons proffered earlier, Te Reo is a beautiful language if you will only give it a chance. Little chance while rude ignoramuses like Dumbkof deliberately insult our people by spelling MOWREE as a word. Sad.
@Captain cavemen
Posted on 28-08-2017 16:29 | By Papamoaner
You're right about the American Language bastardisation of English, but it's not exclusive to Cebu. It started with television that enabled America to dominate world culture, mostly inadvertent, simply due to the fact that most tv programming came out of the US in the early days. It is decades since Marcos kicked the Cebu air base into touch, but the language endures. In fact if it wasn't for tv, Imelda's shoes might not have gained fame, so you can hardly continue to blame language blemishes on military presence. Too much of a broadly sweeping generalisation to be authentic, don't you agree? If we can get kids to be particular about accuracy in one thing, like say Te Reo, that might just be infectious once established. Our entire culture could benefit, but first, we MUST cast aside bigotry.
Don't get me wrong
Posted on 28-08-2017 20:59 | By GreertonBoy
Te Reo is a relevant language of historic and cultural importance to the Maori and non Maori NZers, but on the world stage, I believe it will be more important to the rest of the world that our next generations can speak PROPER English, followed by Chinese, Japanese, German and other European languages. I am in no way disrespecting Maori people, their culture or language... of course the true history and language is very important to keep for future generations, but I believe forcing all to learn the Maori language is not the answer. Maori should be encouraged for NZers to WANT to learn, but the most relevant languages 'on the world stage' might be more valuable in the big picture? A student proficient in German (example) might expect to translate for foreign international companies and governments, where Maori language is only relevant/usable here?
But remember...
Posted on 28-08-2017 21:11 | By GreertonBoy
I am in NO WAY belittling Te Reo.... my point is that we NZers and future NZers should be ENCOURAGED to learn the language, but my opinion, it should not be forced upon all to learn... and to me the language should be protected from the infiltration of words from other languages, to keep the Maori language pure as it was historically... to me, it would be sad to see words like 'traffic lights' and 'Computer CPU' or 'mobile phone' written in Maori sentences... That, to me, would make a mish-mash of such an historic language and I, myself, think that it should be kept more traditional?...
@GreertonBoy
Posted on 29-08-2017 09:01 | By Papamoaner
Merit in a lot of what you say, but you have to make pre-maturity education compulsory. Extrapolating your argument to it's logical conclusion would produce kids with no education in the basics like arithmetic, simply because they were "given the choice" and chose not to. If we don't make important subjects compulsory, we are letting them down. By example, we have already lost the plot by no longer teaching kids to be respectful to adults, thus producing adults that respect nobody.
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