|
Most of Wairarapa electorate's 11,627 school students are benefiting from a range of government initiatives in its key education priorities of literacy, numeracy and information communication technology.
We need an education system that equips New Zealanders with 21st century skills and cuts the level of under-achievement experienced by some groups.
Giving kids the ability to read and write is a key focus. More than ever before, getting the foundations right is the essential key to success in life.
Some schools in Wairarapa have taken up the challenge by joining the Primary Literacy Leadership programme. This develops the literacy knowledge and skills of principals and literacy leaders so they can improve programmes for years 1-8 in their schools.
Budget 2003 injected $15 million over four years to boost literacy in schools.
Under this, schools will be supported by 15 newly appointed Literacy Development Officers to ensure their programmes are giving the best results possible for the entire class.
Schools in Wairarapa are also taking up Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning, an award-winning CD-ROM for teaching literacy and numeracy to years 5-7. About 90 percent of schools nationwide have requested copies since it became available earlier this year.
The Reading Writing Maths proposals pool is a discretionary fund that schools can apply for to support extra programmes in literacy and numeracy. The programme already includes Pongaroa School.
The Government is also funding specific numeracy projects in seven Wairarapa schools.
Three research reports on professional development numeracy projects for teachers of years 0-10 showed considerable improvements in students' math skills. Research on the Early Numeracy Programme showed that after just one year at school, 80 percent could count to solve addition and subtraction problems.
The projects are now being extended to thousands more primary and intermediate teachers and students.
A key government priority for education in the future will be on improving the quality of teaching to help lift students' achievement. Now we have a wide range of teacher professional development projects in place.
Teachers say these give them more skills and enthusiasm in maths and this can only be a good thing for the students.
Information and communications technology is an incredible tool for learning and ICT skills are essential for work and for life in the modern world.
With this in mind, the Government is developing IT and infrastructure within schools so students and teachers can take advantage of the vast opportunities that exist online.
Wairarapa schools are getting an estimated total of $949,300 in extra funding over three years and are already benefiting from these ICT initiatives, including a project to supply laptops to all of New Zealand's 2700-plus principals that has already been completed ahead of schedule.
Students and teachers need well-informed, and effective leadership, and that's why we've equipped all 77 principals in Wairarapa with the benefits of mobile computing.
Also, the laptops for secondary teachers programme has already supplied eight Wairarapa teachers. Budget 2003 extended it to include teachers in years 7-8, who can now also lease a laptop through their school, with the Government meeting two-thirds of the cost.
The expansion of the ICT professional development cluster programme was another feature of Budget 2003. There will be 40 new clusters and up to 400 new schools involved in the programme in 2004, adding to the 94 clusters and 800 schools involved nationwide since 1999.
In Wairarapa, Masterton Intermediate leads this programme.
Project Probe will see the rollout of broadband Internet to 14 regions around the country by the end of 2004, including Wairarapa.
The rollout of high speed Internet will benefit thousands of students in hundreds of schools in remote country areas - and it'll open up further opportunities in Wairarapa that urban students already have.
Students will be able to access a much wider range of subject choices, to take part in video conferencing, and to quickly access education resources on the Internet.
For teachers, it means access to digital teaching resources and online professional development.
My thanks to those brave souls who faced the elements and came to the gas emissions meeting in Masterton last week.
While neither side may necessarily have been swayed by the arguments put up for and against the proposed levy, it was great to be able to have direct dialogue with Climate Change Minister, Pete Hodgson.
My thanks to Pete for making the time to come to Masterton.
Good news for Wairarapa people wanting to train to be nurses with the announcement last week of a degree course starting at Masterton's UCOL next year.
At present would-be nurses have to travel to Palmerston North or Wellington to study, so having this course based in Masterton may encourage more young people to take up the profession.
Last Tuesday the project implementation committee of the Violence Free Wairarapa/Rise Above it Campaign ran a workshop, which was to review the campaign's successes so far and plan what to do in the future.
They tell me one of the most significant successes is the way social service agencies are now working more collaboratively to make a difference for the victims and perpetrators of violence.
There is a new spirit of togetherness and partnership and there is also a rising awareness of violence in our society, with people reporting violence more readily.
The group believes that the next steps will come from activities within the community and many creative initiatives were discussed. The project's two co-ordinators, Rawiri Smith and John Slater, will be busy putting these ideas into practice in the near future.
This campaign is the only one of its kind in the country and many other areas are watching with interest what we are doing in the Wairarapa.
|
|
|
