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This week is Budget week and several pre-announcements have already been made.
Of interest to parents with children doing NCEA this year will be initiatives totalling nearly $78 million in new spending over four years.
These initiatives will support the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) and the administration of other qualifications.
Some of the new funding will go towards reducing exam fees for more students - those from low and middle-income families, and with more than one student entering qualifications this year.
This will be great news to many Wairarapa parents.
About $7 million over four years will be invested in giving exam fee remissions to students whose parents or caregivers are beneficiaries, or have incomes below the income threshold for receipt of a Community Services Card.
It will also apply to families with two or more children undertaking qualifications assessment in the same year, irrespective of income.
The new fee schedule is as follows:
- a single processing fee of $35 for NCEA and the National Qualifications Framework, and $45 for University Bursaries for students whose parents or caregivers are beneficiaries, or who are on or below the following income thresholds: $51,022 (6-person family), $45,952 (5-person family), $40,883 (4-person family), $35,815 (3-person family) and $30,748 (2-person family).
- Where two or more students from a family are entering for qualifications in 2003, the fee will be $100 per student, but no family will pay more than $200.
- For all other students: the fee will remain a flat fee of $150 for the National Qualifications Framework, including NCEA and Sixth Form Certificate (transitional), for more then 48 credits, and $75 for fewer than 48 credits. For University Entrance, Bursaries and Scholarship, the fee will remain $45 (administration) plus $28 per subject.
One of the goals with the new NCEA qualification is to increase the numbers of students involved in assessment for qualifications. We are committed to providing a flexible high quality system and it is important that fees are not a barrier for students from low to middle income families.
There are also initiatives aimed at providing better support for schools, teachers and students.
While on the subject of schools, a new internet safety kit for schools has been launched by Mr Mallard and the New Zealand Police Commissioner Rob Robinson.
Today's schools have their work cut out for them in providing a "cybersafe" learning environment for students and staff and the time is right for the revised NetSafe Kit for Schools.
The kit is produced by the Internet Safety Group (ISG), the Ministry of Education's designated agent of choice for internet safety resources, advice and professional development. The Ministry has described the kit as a "model of best practice" and surveys have shown that the majority of schools are using it.
The effectiveness of a number of important government strategies requires cyber environments that are safe for all users if the full potential of Information and Communications Technology is to be realised.
One example is Project PROBE, the delivery of broadband access to all schools by 2004, which will provide them with access to an increased range of resources and activities on the Internet.
We need to make this as safe as we can.
This week also marks another milestone for me - I have launched my own website at www.georginabeyer.co.nz.
My offices get inquiries from all around the country, even from around the world, but I prefer my staff to deal with Wairarapa people first.
With this in mind my website was created by very talented designer Emily Walker and I would welcome any feedback or suggestions anyone has.
I am also looking at posting photos of our wonderful Wairarapa so anyone with digital photos of scenes they would like to contribute can email them to Jo in the Masterton office at gbeyer@wise.net.nz.
This is very exciting for me and I am really looking forward to see how many "hits" the website gets.
On Monday I was in Dannevirke and Friday I visited a few Masterton businesses as part of Future Growth Day, which used to be Innovation Day.
Computer Concepts, Woodnet Works and Silicon Blue are some of the Wairarapa businesses who have received funding through the Government's economic development fund and I must say they have turned their ideas into sound businesses.
I'm proud Wairarapa people are holding their own when it comes to new concepts and turning their ideas into sustainable jobs.
My congratulations to Andrew and Allison Watters, who farm at both Pahiatua and Carterton. They were named New Zealand's top sharemilkers this year and Wairarapa can be proud of their achievements.
Also congratulations to Cinadell Pitman, of Pahiatua, who is one of six New Zealanders chosen to attend the Global Young Leaders Conference in the United States in July.
With 80 countries represented at the conference, Cinadell is bound to make new friends and experience many different cultures.
I hope you have a great trip.
It's great to see Pahiatua is planning to repair and give its Harvard aircraft a fresh coat of paint. The novel slide is certainly something Pahiatua is remembered for and it would be sad to see it disappear. Good luck to Jenny Murphy and the Mainstreet Trust with their fundraising efforts.
Finally I see Pahiatua may become famous for more than its plane, with Harrows Restaurant winning the central region section of the Wine and Food Challenge.
My best wishes for the national competition next month.
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