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Occupational health spokesman Chris Hipkins says the party is keeping its focus on other reforms.
Labor has confirmed that it will not extend the free tertiary education program to cover more years of study, if elected this year.
The party’s education spokesman, Chris Hipkins, said that after Covid-19 the focus will remain on encouraging and reforming vocational education.
The 2017 election policy was originally scheduled to extend to two years of academic study in 2021 and three by 2024, but has now been frozen indefinitely. It already covers two years of professional training.
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RNZ
Schools are beginning to consider firing additional teachers who have been paying with foreign student fees.
That freeze was confirmed when the Labor Party unveiled its education policy on Tuesday, which consists mainly of continuing or reconfirming the reforms and policies initiated in the current term of government.
Hipkins also confirmed that the government would not return the allowance for graduate students, as promised in the 2017 elections.
“We have a proud history of increasing funding in education to address cost pressures, and we are committed to driving spending if we are re-elected to maintain a strong education system as we rebuild from Covid-19,” Hipkins said.
“In tertiary education, Labor will retain the first year of the free program, but will not extend the program to additional years free of fees. We will focus on our additional spending on tertiary education in areas that are critical to the country’s economic recovery in the post-Covid environment. “
Trade training or free apprenticeships would continue for the next two years.
The free school lunch program will be rolled out to 200,000 children by mid-2021, as announced in the Budget in May, at a cost of $ 220 million.
Salary parity between early childhood teachers and those working in kindergartens or schools would remain a focus, Hipkins said, although the government has already implemented a pay increase aimed at pushing teachers with lower salaries.
NZEI Te Riu Roa, which represents elementary and early childhood education teachers, said that ECE teachers currently receive 49 percent less than other teachers with the same qualifications.
“Now we have seen pay parity commitments from Labor and the Green Party. Now we would also love to see that same commitment from other parties before the elections. “
He said that if the Labor Party is re-elected, the union will work with the government to push the policy’s implementation as soon as possible and ensure that all additional funds go directly to teachers’ salaries.
The Hipkins reform and centralization of the vocational education system would continue apace, with each polytechnic being integrated into an overall national body.
The decile system for school funding would be replaced by an “equity index,” a national and Labor reform.
“Once fully implemented, the new funding system is expected to involve additional funding of $ 75 million per year, in schooling and early learning. But it is important that there is also a transition period in which the move to the equity index is managed carefully, ”said Hipkins.
Reforms to the way schools are run would continue under the direction set by the Schools of Tomorrow review, with schools urged to cooperate more within regions rather than compete, and powers over issues such as zoning will be individual boards of directors will be removed.
A new regional Education Services Agency would be created to implement this new regime. Nacional opposes this policy.
These reforms are expected to cost $ 400 million over the next year, and the Labor Party says its overall package will cost $ 1.9 billion, in addition to normal increases in population increases.
On school property, the Labor Party would continue a 10-year plan to build new schools and classrooms for 100,000 students and improve classrooms and schools for another 93,000.
It has already invested $ 400 million in state schools for immediate maintenance needs.
National has promised to spend another $ 4.8 billion on school property in addition to the government’s plan.
He has also pledged to boost operational funding for special needs education and said he would hire many more teacher aides.
Hipkins said in Government Labor he has done a lot for special needs education, including raising pay for teacher aides.
He said National often promised big spending on education but failed to deliver.
Hipkins was shy when asked if he would serve another three years as elected Minister of Education, given his other health portfolio.
He said he had a great passion for education and the work that he had started, but that it would be a Prime Minister’s decision if the Labor Party won the election.
