Education Minister Hekia Parata has congratulated Orewa College’s Jennifer Palmer on becoming the first school student to take top honours at the Sir Paul Callaghan EUREKA! Awards.
Jennifer, a year 12 student, won the $10,000 Premier Award for a 12 minute presentation ‘Synthetic Biology – Engineering the Future’. She was one of six secondary school and six university students chosen as finalists for the awards.
On the fifth anniversary of the first major earthquake to hit Christchurch, Education Minister Hekia Parata has paid tribute to the work of everyone involved in education in greater Christchurch.
“The huge progress since the 4 September 2010 earthquake is a testament to the spirit, determination, hard work and commitment of everyone concerned,” says Ms Parata who is in Christchurch today.
A survey showing that 85 per cent of parents are satisfied with their children’s early childhood education service overall is a testament to the hard work of teachers and parents, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.
“The 2014 Kiwis Count survey dataset released today by the State Services Commission shows that parental satisfaction in ECE service overall is high.
New research into secondary school students’ understanding of money and how to manage it has been welcomed by Education Minister Hekia Parata and Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith.
A study undertaken by the Commission for Financial Capability has shown that many teachers think students’ money management skills are low, while in contrast students are confident they know how to manage their money.
The Commission has released the research during Money Week to highlight the importance of helping young people make informed choices about money.
A Year 8 student who composed and sung his own waiata has won the Supreme Award for a school competition honouring the 28th (Māori) Battalion, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.
Education Minister Hekia Parata says it's fantastic that more than 120,000 kids are now in 42 Communities of Schools committed to working together to raise student achievement.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has initiated consultation with the board of trustees and proprietor of Turakina Māori Girls’ College over the future of the school.
Twenty-two groups of schools have won funding to establish new Mandarin, Japanese or Korean programmes, or expand existing ones, Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.
The Government established the $10 million Asian Language Learning in Schools contestable fund last year to increase the provision of Asian languages in schools.
“The first funding round has generated real enthusiasm for Asian languages in classrooms,” says Ms Parata. “22 programmes involving 129 schools will receive a total of $3.3 million over the next three years.
Education Minister Hekia Parata says Maths Week, which starts today, shows the real-life importance of mathematics in a fun and engaging way.
“The challenges tackled during maths help students work out things like what cellphone plan they can afford, or how to budget for a trip to the movies.”
“This year’s challenges and daily competitions are better than ever, and over 200,000 students from around the country have already signed up.”
Education Minister Hekia Parata today planted a mānuka tree at the Aranui Community School site to mark the official start of construction.
The Year 1-13 co-educational school is located at the current Aranui High School site on Shortland Street in Christchurch. It will open in January 2017, following the closures of Aranui High School, Aranui School, Avondale School and Wainoni School.
Ms Parata says that Aranui Community School will be the first of its kind in the Christchurch region.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed a report showing that Trades Academies are delivering “overwhelmingly positive outcomes” for students.
The report is from the Education Review Office which reviewed 15 of the 24 academies operating across New Zealand.
The academies, introduced in 2011, are designed to increase retention rates, raise NCEA Level 2 achievement rates and smooth the transition from school to further education, training and work.
Education Minister Hekia Parata encourages all New Zealanders to celebrate and engage in Māori Language Week (Te Wiki o te reo Māori).
“Māori Language Week is a chance for New Zealanders to celebrate our indigenous language and participate in one of the many events happening around the country that showcase Māori culture,” says Ms Parata.
This is the 40th year of Māori Language Week and the theme is Whāngaia te reo ki ngā Mātua – Nurture the language in parents.
Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today confirmed that more than 230 new classrooms are on-track to be delivered over the next 18 months to help meet increasing rolls in Auckland.
“Last August, the Government announced it would invest $350 million over four years to get ahead of demand in our biggest city,” says Ms Parata.
Education Minister Hekia Parata says she has given Te Pumanawa o te Wairua in Northland a chance to continue operating because of her concerns about finding other educational opportunities for its students.
Her decision follows a special audit of the Whangaruru school which raised issues about its financial performance, administration and governance.
Ms Parata says the audit findings provided grounds to terminate the partnership agreement with the school, but she has opted not to do so because of her concerns about the school’s students.
Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye have welcomed today’s judgement from the Court of Appeal about the Ministry of Education’s case against Carter Holt Harvey over leaky school buildings.
In 2013, the Ministry started legal proceedings, on behalf of schools, against Carter Holt Harvey, James Hardie and CSR Building Products Ltd alleging the supply of defective building products.
Ms Parata says settlements have already been reached with James Hardie and CSR.
Education Minister Hekia Parata says a regional breakdown showing the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA Level 2 rising in each of the country’s 16 local body regions is exciting.
The breakdown shows that between 2011 and 2014 the percentage of 18-year-olds with NCEA Level 2 rose by between 3.8 percentage points and 18.4 percentage points on a regional basis.
The information is contained in Public Achievement Information released today to give students, parents, educators and communities a picture of what is happening in their regions and nationally.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has initiated a second round of consultation over the future of Raukokore School, Te Kura o Ōmaio and Te Whānau-a-Apanui Area School in Western East Cape.
“I have made an interim decision that the three schools should close and a new Year 1 – 13 state school should open in January next year to address concerns about the sustainability and quality of education in the area,” Ms Parata says.
The proposal arises out of engagement with the community since 2013.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed an agreement between the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa on how schools will work together to lift student achievement.
The agreement follows discussions between the Ministry and NZEI on collaboration between schools that will target educational challenges and improve teaching and leadership practices.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the appointment of Dr Arapata Hakiwai to the New Zealand National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The commission is the main channel of cooperation between New Zealand and UNESCO which is responsible for fostering cooperation between nations in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and human rights) and communication and information.
Today’s Better Public Service (BPS) update showing the Government is on track to achieve its goal of lifting the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA Level 2 is a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of teachers and principals, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.
“The update shows that between 2013 and 2014 the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA Level 2, or an equivalent qualification, rose from 78.6 per cent to about 81.1 per cent. Over the past three years the percentage has risen by 6.8 percentage points.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced the successful applicants for a new $10 million fund to encourage innovative teaching practices.
“I’m delighted with the quality of the 39 projects that have won funding in the first round of the Teacher-led Innovation Fund worth a total of about $2.6 million,” says Ms Parata.
“It’s part of our $359m Investing in Educational Success initiative and allows schools to put their bright ideas into practice and share them across schools.
New Zealand’s teaching profession is amongst the most highly trained, best qualified, and most experienced in the world, Education Minister Hekia Parata says.
The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) asked teachers of Year 7 to 10 students from 34 countries about their schools and their work. In New Zealand, more than 2,800 Year 7 to 10 teachers from 163 schools took part.
Education Minister Hekia Parata has congratulated the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) on 25 years of service to education.
“Soon after its inception NZQA garnered international attention when it established one of the first qualifications frameworks in the world, a framework that related all qualifications to each other and provided students with a variety of pathways to gain qualifications.
Today marks a new era for teachers as the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand opens its doors, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.
The nine–member council officially takes over responsibility for teacher registration and disciplinary matters from the Teachers Council today, but it has a wider brief than the body it replaces.
