The coalition government’s move to boost funding for charter schools is counterintuitive, says IHC New Zealand.
IHC Inclusive Education Lead Trish Grant says the announcement seems at odds with Education Minister Erica Stanford’s resolve to transform what she and the previous Minister have called a “broken” system.
“Associate Minister Seymour wants underperforming schools to become charter schools,” says Trish. “Surely, he is aware that the Ministry already has statutory powers to intervene, and, on that basis, a new model of charter schools is unnecessary.
“Hopefully this won’t detract from the investment needed to ensure New Zealand can have a public education system to be proud of and delivers education for every student.”
Two reports released this week confirm the need. IHC congratulates The Education Hub on its ‘The Illusion of Inclusion’ study, alongside the Education Review Office’s report on teacher education, about how the education system is failing neurodiverse students.
Trish says its findings and recommendations for a system overhaul echo those within IHC’s ongoing inclusive education campaign and a previous Education Review Office’s 2022 report on the learning experiences of disabled students.
“A law change is needed so disabled and neurodiverse children have the right to the supports they need, which includes capable confident teachers, early intervention and access to specialist support.
“A rebuild is well overdue and will require sustained investment over time, rather than attempted patchwork fixes like today’s announcement.
“We don’t need yet another review; we need to urgently begin the building a quality inclusive education system that works for all.”
About IHC New Zealand
IHC New Zealand advocates for the rights, inclusion and welfare of all people with intellectual disabilities and supports them to live satisfying lives in the community. IHC provides advocacy, volunteering, events, membership associations and fundraising. It is part of the IHC Group, which also includes IDEA Services, Choices NZ and Accessible Properties.
About IHC’s Stand and Action on Education
All students with a disability have a human right to attend their local school, feel welcome and included, have access to the curriculum and fair outcomes from a quality education.
For too long, disabled students have been disadvantaged by an education system that does not include them.
In 2008, after decades of work with the Ministry of Education to solve the problems, IHC lodged a complaint under the Human Rights Act 1993. Initially the case had to go through the Human Rights Commission and government lawyers applied to “strike-out” key aspects of the IHC case. We had a hearing in the Human Rights Review Tribunal in 2015.
After five years, at the end of 2020, the Human Rights Review Tribunal handed down its decision and dismissed the Crown’s “strike-out” arguments. This means the discrimination experienced by students with disabilities in education can now be heard by human rights experts.
Early in 2021 the Director of the Office of Human Rights Proceedings agreed to provide legal representation to IHC. He thinks the way in which disabled students experience discrimination in their access to education is a serious matter of great public interest. The Director has said he wants to talk with government about what they could do to better protect disabled students from discrimination at school.
