9. Question No. 9—EducationCARL BATES (National—Whanganui) to the Minister of EducationQuestion No. 9—Education9. CARL BATES (National—Whanganui) to the Minister of Education: What is the Government doing to improve literacy and numeracy achievement in New Zealand?Hon ERICA STANFORD (Minister of Education): Yesterday the Education Bulletin was sent out to the education sector indicating the Government's intention to implement the hour a day policy into New Zealand schools. Improving outcomes in reading writing and maths is a priority for this Government so I have asked schools with students in years 0 to 8 to spend an average of an hour a day teaching reading writing and maths. Carl Bates: Why is it important that children spend an hour a day on each of these subjects?Hon ERICA STANFORD: Reading writing and maths are fundamental skills that unlock the rest of the curriculum. In a 2021 report into the teaching of mathematics in New Zealand the Royal Society found significant variation amongst schools in terms of the amount of time devoted to teaching maths with some teachers scheduling maths for as much as seven hours a week while others teach it for fewer than three. It was their recommendation in that report to introduce an hour a day of mathematics. The previous Government ignored those recommendations. But this Government will be introducing an hour a day to see all children across New Zealand getting consistent high-quality education that they deserve and this is just the first step.Carl Bates: What results has the Minister seen to indicate that this change is necessary?Hon ERICA STANFORD: The 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment results show a significant decline in the performance of 15-year-old students in maths compared to 2018 and confirms the long-term trend of declining achievement in core subjects since 2000. The 2022 national monitoring study showed that only 41.5 percent of our year 8s were at curriculum for maths after eight years of schooling. These results show us that our education system has continued to deliver poor outcomes for learners. But our Government has a plan to turn this around. Our Teaching the Basics Brilliantly policy which includes an hour a day builds an important foundation to ensure young people receive the high-quality education they deserve and allows them to live the life that they want.Hon Jan Tinetti: How does the Minister know how frequently reading writing and maths is currently being taught in classrooms given the acknowledgment in the Ministry of Education bulletin to school principals yesterday that many of them were already doing that and little change was needed?Hon ERICA STANFORD: If the member opposite had been listening to my previous answer she would have heard the fact that the Government's own report that they commissioned in 2021 stated that there was a wide variation between schools in the teaching of mathematics with some only teaching it for three hours a day. We acknowledge that many schools already do this but there is some variability and we want to make sure it is consistent across the sector. And I suggest that the member next time listens more carefully to my answers.Carl Bates: What will an hour a day look like in practice in the classroom?Hon ERICA STANFORD: As I said in the Education Bulletin that went out this week we know that many schools already do an hour a day of reading writing and maths. But it is our intention to ensure that this great practice is happening consistently across the sector in New Zealand. We expect that these hours take place across the entire school day and throughout the curriculum. This will include explicit teaching collaborative learning activities games and all the other best-practice techniques teachers use to engage and develop young people's skills. But rest assured it is our expectation that our young people are getting access to an hour of reading writing and mathematics every day across the whole country in every classroom.