Choudhary Ashraf: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Choudhary Ashraf: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:648;Page:16890] 
6.  
Dr ASHRAF CHOUDHARY (Labour) 
 to the  
Minister of Education 
: What reports if any has he recently received on school funding? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I have seen a report where National’s Wayne Mapp repeated the claims of his leader John Key that his party would fund extra funding for schools by slashing staff at the Ministry of Education. Actually the total wages bill for all Ministry of Education staff not directly involved in front-line support services such as working with special-needs pupils is $54.6 million. Even if a future National Government sacked every one of those staff that would equate to $21900 per New Zealand school—not even enough for those schools to hire an extra teacher. Indeed there would not even be enough to build the recently completed Botany Downs Secondary College and Albany Junior High School which came to $86.7 million. This shows once again that National’s 2008 education policy is just empty slogans that are designed to mask no commitment to quality public education. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: Can the Minister tell the House what other reports he has seen about school funding promises? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I have seen two reports. The first is a report from the  
North Shore Times 
 dated 13 May where requests to increase school operations grants by 20 percent resource scheme funding by 30 percent and information and communications technology grants to $100 per student—commitments totalling $349 million—are described in the article by Anne Tolley MP as being along the same lines as likely National Party policy. The second report is also from Mrs Tolley. Last Thursday she told 200 primary school principals in Auckland: “the one thing I can tell you is there will be no extra funding for education on top of the cost of living.” At last National comes clean. Its only education policy so far is one of providing more money for private schools privatising school buildings and gutting the Ministry of Education. 
Judy Turner 
: What advice can the Minister give classroom teachers as to whether they should remain in the classroom to care for their students or chase after a special-needs child who has absconded due to not being supported by sufficient teacher-aide hours to moderate that child’s behaviour and keep the child on task; and does he support the boards of trustees that are dipping into their operational grants to offset the shortfalls in ongoing resourcing scheme funding? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I can tell that teacher along with every other one of the 43000 teachers we have in our country that the Labour-led Government absolutely values education. That is why we have put $5 billion extra into education. That is why we have employed 6024 extra teachers above roll growth. That is why in the last 3 years we have spent $1.2 billion on new schools gyms administration blocks and so on. That is why we have introduced 20 free hours’ early childhood education for every 3 and 4-year-old in New Zealand. That is why we have increased teachers’ salaries on average by 36 percent and principals’ salaries on average by 43 percent. 
Judy Turner 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. I had two questions in there and neither of them was addressed by the Minister’s answer at all. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister addressed them very generally but he may wish to add something to his answer. 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I would like to add that we see the needs of special education as being very important. That is why 70 percent of the staff at the Ministry of Education are involved in front-line services that support exactly the situation the member has raised. Those are the people whom Mr Key wants to slash. 
Anne Tolley 
: What does the Minister have to say to the chairman of the board of trustees of a South Auckland secondary school who said: “I am sick and tired of hearing the Minister keep repeating that Labour has committed an extra $5 billion since 1999 for education. That may be true but the vast majority of the funds have not gone to the students or schools but to bureaucrats.”? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: I would be delighted to have a conversation with that chairperson of a board of trustees. I would tell him that the member who has just asked the question who happens to be National’s education spokesperson has said there would be no more extra funds for schools above the cost of living. I am sure he would be very surprised to hear that but he need only to ask the principal of his school about it because that member said those words in front of 200 primary school principals last week.