7. Education—Better Public Services Targets and Quality of Early Childhood EducationMATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of EducationEducation—Better Public Services Targets and Quality of Early Childhood Education7. MATT DOOCEY (National—Waimakariri) to the Minister of Education: What recent announcements has she made regarding education-related Better Public Services targets?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Tēnā koe Mr Speaker. Yesterday I announced as part of the Government's Better Public Services initiative that the Government is on track in lifting participation and achievement. The update shows that 83.3 percent of 18-year-olds achieved NCEA level 2 in 2015. That is a total of 51299 young people and represents an outstanding lift of 9 percent since the target was introduced in 2012. The early childhood education (ECE) participation rate has hit a record high. In the year to March 2016 96.6 percent of children starting school had participated in ECE. This is great news because it means more of our earliest learners are getting the best possible start to their education. Since then some regions such as Canterbury Otago Tasman and Nelson have reached over 98 percent. Seeing as these improvements are the results of many people's efforts—the children and young people themselves their families and whānau teachers and tutors—we want to acknowledge and celebrate them all. Matt Doocey: How does increased achievement and participation for our young people increase economic benefit? Hon HEKIA PARATA: We are focused on increasing success across all parts of our education system. We know how critical skills and qualifications are for New Zealanders to do well so that they can go on to contribute to society and to a thriving economy. Although we are seeing promising results in all of our targets the increase in the proportion of 18-year-olds with NCEA level 2 is a standout. A level 2 qualification gives young people opportunities to further their education and employment as it is often a minimum requirement for jobs. The beauty of NCEA is that it allows every young person to choose a course of study that works for them. These results mean that more young people are getting the skills that they need to be successful in their chosen pathway. Additionally the work on vocational pathways trades academies and Youth Guarantee partnerships gives more choices to young people about where and what they can learn. Those who have struggled in traditional schooling are now getting engaged in education and achieving NCEA level 2.Catherine Delahunty: Does the Minister believe any participation in early childhood education as described in the Better Public Services target is a substitute for guaranteed quality in early childhood education?Hon HEKIA PARATA: We do not think the two are mutually exclusive. However in order to enjoy quality children need to be attending so we have been focusing on lifting that. I can say to the member that the 98 percent of ECEs at any time that are subject to quality checks by the Ministry of Education and the regular reviews by the Education Review Office tell us that they are delivering quality. Catherine Delahunty: Will the Minister establish a target for achieving safe child-to-adult ratios and a goal of 100 percent qualified teachers in early childhood education to ensure quality?Hon HEKIA PARATA: To repeat a large part of my supplementary answer at any one time 98 percent of services are meeting or exceeding the licensing standards that set the criteria for quality on curriculum health and safety the premises and facilities governance management and administration and moreover we have the highest number of qualified early ECE teachers than ever before.Catherine Delahunty: Will the Minister stop the effective funding freeze in early childhood education which funds only roll growth and has seen no increase in per-child funding since 2010?Hon HEKIA PARATA: This Government has more than doubled the spending on early learning to $1.79 billion from less than $0.9 billion when we came into Government. This year's Budget has also provided an extra $396.9 million over the next 4 years which accounts for 54 million extra hours of ECE for children. ECE is 33.5 percent more affordable than it was in 2007 and on average for every dollar that parents pay for early learning the Government contributes roughly $4.80.