King Colin: Education Amendment Bill — In Committee 
King Colin: Education Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:630;Page:2660] 
COLIN KING (National—Kaikoura) 
: 
 In speaking to the title of the Education Amendment Bill I thank Jacqui Dean for her very appropriate comments. We know that this amendment bill is just an exercise in more bureaucracy more control and more regulation and there is a bit of carrot in behind the stick in the sense that if the early childhood sector does conform appropriately to the criteria and the regulations then it will get the funding. 
I do hope that we do not strangle the innovation the flair and the individual skill of the teachers who are so committed to and passionate about our education sector. I think that there is an enormous risk of putting so many regulations in place that an enormous amount of time will be spent on compliance. Sometimes that compliance can put an enormous burden on a small rural community or a provincial area. I am also quite sure because of the way this bill has been handled during the Committee stage that we will see it come back very quickly with a large number of amendments. I make that comment because of the genuine effort that was put into the Supplementary Order Papers and how beneficial they would have been in relation to moving forward not only as a country but as an important sector of society—education. 
Looking at it all now in hindsight I still have some huge fears that we have not appropriately linked and strengthened the hand of the teachers in relation to the abuse and intimidation of staff. It is very easy for that to occur in a way that is removed from witnesses. It could be done electronically or in private yet there is no way that we can link or empower the school back to the Crimes Act. So that is one part that really does concern me. 
The introduction of the National Student Number going right down to the early childhood learning situation is also quite an important situation. It was an enormous opportunity for us to move forward and to be able to measure and manage. One tries to bring up a family in a way that recognises the individuality of one’s children whether they are boys or girls. I just feel that we are missing out here on that opportunity to be able to empower the parents to have the input and show that inclusiveness as far as moving forward as a unit closely associated with the school or the early childhood centre and on into the tertiary education sector. 
I do believe that we will continue to have situations where people will fall through the cracks. As a teacher from Blenheim said to me only the other day: “If it comes to Friday and you’ve got an accelerant child and you’ve got a very average child it becomes one size fits all.” I believe that in the sense of the amendments in this bill effectively all we have done is a snow job—a whitewash. We have paid particular attention to rules and regulations and the only carrot that is sitting in behind it all is that the Government will fund the schools. If the schools do not do as the Government tells them they will not get funded. I find it very difficult to get any pleasure whatsoever from this Education Amendment Bill.