Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Rich Katherine: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:643;Page:12849] 
7.  
KATHERINE RICH (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: Does he agree with the Government’s 2005 manifesto statement that “the quality of teaching is the single biggest determinant of learning success”; if so why do almost 60 percent of the country’s primary school teachers fail to reach the top grade when it comes to teaching writing? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Education) 
: 
 Yes As a former teacher myself I agree that quality teaching has a huge impact on student achievement. The Education Review Office report that the member may be quoting needs to be read accurately. It stated that 87 percent of teachers were teaching effectively and that just 13 percent needed upskilling. The member continues to mislead over Education Review Office reports on the quality of teaching by equating “less effective” with “ineffective”. 
Katherine Rich 
: Does it concern the Minister that that same Education Review Office report found that a consistent 24 to 30 percent of teachers had either significant weakness or were ineffective in teaching writing whereas 23 percent were teaching something they thought was writing but the Education Review Office said did not reflect the English curriculum? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: The Education Review Office’s assessment of literacy looked at six particular areas and then graded teachers through them. Teachers may well have been excellent in five areas and needing upskilling in one area in particular. Any such review of members of this Parliament would probably reveal similar gaps in specialty areas. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: What steps is the Government taking to improve the quality of teaching in our classrooms? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: The Government is taking many steps. During the 2005-06 year alone we invested $111 million in teacher professional development. This investment has helped teachers to improve their skills in key learning areas such as literacy and numeracy. We have put over 5000 extra teachers in classrooms to ease workloads and provide teachers with more non-contact time for lesson preparation and professional development. I announced only yesterday an extra professional development day for all schools to use to plan their implementation of the new curriculum which is a new curriculum that continues to emphasise the importance of literacy and numeracy. 
Katherine Rich 
: Can the Minister confirm that the Education Review Office report found that one in three teachers “did not effectively collect and use assessment information to identify the learning needs of students” and that 50 percent of teachers did not analyse the student achievement information they collected; if so what is the point? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I remind the House again that we must not confuse “less effective” with “ineffective”. There are certainly areas that teachers can be upskilled in. The new curriculum will give greater guidance on how they implement their lesson planning and hopefully will encourage schools to look at professional development for all their staff. 
Katherine Rich 
: Can the Minister confirm that in fact most teachers—some 82 percent—had undertaken the very professional development programme he has mentioned and that even after that training and development they still had significant weaknesses in the teaching of reading and writing? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I can confirm that New Zealand teachers when put against international criteria score very highly. In this House we must not confuse “less effective” with “ineffective”. 
Katherine Rich 
: Why does the Minister not understand that the ability of teachers to teach writing and the ability of children to learn writing is an issue of vital importance to parents and can he explain why he gives such flippant dismissals of such serious findings in Education Review Office reports when these issues are the very things that parents are most concerned about? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I absolutely accept that literacy and numeracy are critical for a child’s successful education—and very important for parents as well. I also wish to assert very strongly that New Zealand teachers by international standards are excellent teachers. Why does the member despise New Zealand teachers? 
Katherine Rich 
: If the Minister is quick to dismiss the findings of the Education Review Office then what will he do to make sure that the reports of the Education Review Office are listened to and implemented and changes are made to lift the standards so that parents do not have to worry about his flippant dismissals? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Once again the member distorts my comments. I do not dismiss the reports of the Education Review Office. I acknowledge that every one of us in our professional area could improve. I also acknowledge that New Zealand teachers do an excellent job in teaching. I also acknowledge that schools teachers and principals are absolutely committed to improving professional standards. This Government is committed to resourcing schools to do just that and the figure I have given—$111 million plus the release time that is now available to teachers in schools to upskill themselves—is an absolutely tangible sign that this Government is committed to having the best possible teaching service and the best possible teaching professionals that we can have.