The education sector is calling on New Zealand politicians to focus on a cross-party approach to education decision making and to leave politics out of it.

Western Bay of Plenty Regional PPTA chairman Jason Smythe says members welcome thoughtful and coherent change in the education sector.

Western Bay of Plenty Regional PPTA chairman Jason Smythe.

He says this is seldom seen from governments.

'Change in the sector is usually due to political point scoring as opposed to what is in the best interest of our students. Teachers are left trying to pick up the threads of ill-constructed ideas which often see more administration rather than them being able to focus on their core role – teaching in the classroom.”

Jason says a high quality well-resourced education for everyone is an economic necessity for the country, especially as it emerges from events such as the Christchurch earthquake and the global recession.

'Parents should know when they send their children to the local school, wherever they are, they are guaranteed a high quality education,” he says.

'This requires serious commitment from our politicians to leave the politics out of education.”

Jason says the New Zealand public education system was once the envy of the world.

'In the last 25 years the quality of the system in our schools has been eroded by a multitude of ill-conceived trials, pilots, policy reversals and endless political tampering,” he says.

'It's time to tell our politicians to put the bats down and allow good ideas the time and space to work.”