Banks John: Education Amendment Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBanks John: Education Amendment Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 14 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:9859. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon JOHN BANKS (Leader—ACT):I rise to speak in favour of the second reading of the Education Amendment Bill. The bill provides the legal framework for partnership schools which are well overdue. I want to join with the Hon Hekia Parata in thanking Dr Cam Calder the chairman of the Education and Science Committee and the members of the committee for their hard work. He is a first-class member of Parliament from the National Party who did a first-class job with this important work. The committee has improved the bill. The first change is to require the existing independent review option to now be a mandatory term of all sponsorship contracts. I can advise the House that officials are working on some default dispute resolution options that will be focused on the educational needs of the student. These will be superior to arrangements in most State schools. The second change is a partial extension of the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman to suspensions stand downs exclusions and expulsions. This change both protects the students and ensures sponsors who are non-governmental organisations have their status preserved. I want to acknowledge all of those who took the time to make a submission to the select committee. Even when we disagree I know that our education system can only improve with the passionate engagement of learners parents and education professionals.This bill as it relates to partnership schools is drawn from a proposal in the ACT-National confidence and supply agreement. That proposal was given life by the Partnership Schools/Kura Hourua Working Group ably led by Catherine Isaac whose work shaped this bill and which we acknowledge on the record today. Partnership schools spring from the values of ACT Party. In education we believe in parental choice and the funding following the child whatever the school type. We know that in education one size does not fit all. In essence we believe in the transformative potential of education. That is why we backed Aspire Scholarships last parliamentary term and why we promoted partnership schools this term. Every child has potential however humble their origins; every child has an inherent value; and every child deserves the opportunity to get a world-class education. No member can say in their heart of hearts that New Zealand is delivering on that so this bill is important. It will determine whether this House is on the right side of history.I believe we will stand with young Māori and Pasifika people who deserve to discover the spark of learning. We will stand with those with learning difficulties or from low socio-economic backgrounds who yearn to achieve and want to be successful. We will stand with the dedicated educators including Māori and Pasifika educators who are able to inspire lead and achieve for our most vulnerable learners. We will stand with the proposition that greater freedom for educators should be coupled with higher levels of accountability—more freedom and much more accountability. Partnership schools offer an important option to address the endemic problem of the underachievement of our most vulnerable learners.The good news is that the current education system works well for the majority of our young people. Our best students are indeed the best in the world. There is more good news. There have been significant recent gains for Pasifika students and slight gains for Māori students. The bad news is that still far too many of our vulnerable students are being left behind. In terms of equity which is the size of the gap between our highest and lowest achievers we are amongst the worst in all of the OECD countries. The good news is that partnership schools are on the way. Being a First World nation means five out of five students gaining the knowledge and skills to be successful citizens in the 21st century—not four out of five but five out of five. This country has huge potential. However we waste that potential because of the continuing disparity that characterises our education system.Partnership schools will help target the problem of underachievement. In the partnership schools model the Crown enters into a contract with a sponsor who operates the school. Sponsors vary from school to school and could be for example groups of parents not-for-profit community groups business churches iwi or Pasifika groups or indeed trusts. The term “partnership” captures the essence of what these schools represent—a partnership between the Crown the business sector and the community. They will introduce more choice and more flexibility into our education system which is well overdue. More choice for parents means they will have greater freedom to choose the education that best suits their children’s learning needs and their future. More flexibility for partnership schools means there will be greater freedom around how they operate. They will be given more autonomy from the usual rules and regulations under which State schools are required to operate. This includes the freedom to offer a different curriculum so long as it can be mapped against the New Zealand curriculum and its principles and qualifications framework and adaptable operating hours.They must employ teachers who are trained and qualified in their fields. Unregistered does not mean untrained but they may in certain limited circumstances be teachers who are not registered with the teachers union—[Interruption] Let me tell the Opposition today: the greatest fear the trade union movement within education has is that these partnership schools will be a huge success—a huge success. These partnership schools must employ teachers who are trained and qualified in their fields. This flexibility will allow them to do things differently. Flexibility allows things to be done differently to meet the needs of the pupils not the needs of the teacher trade unions or teachers themselves. They will be allowed to use new and diverse approaches to teaching and learning and to property and school organisation. They can focus on specialist areas of learning such as art music or sport and they can answer a particular need in the community. In exchange for this flexibility partnership schools will have higher levels of accountability with a unique evaluation framework.I am pleased to advise the House that we have received 35 applications from potential sponsors for partnership schools. They are currently being considered by the authorisation board which is an expert panel of independent advisers and this authorisation board will make recommendations to the Minister of Education. No final decisions will be made or contracts with potential sponsors entered into until this bill is passed. Contracts are expected to be in place by the middle of the year. This ensures successful sponsors have enough time to prepare their schools to open in 2014.Can I once again express my appreciation for the work of the select committee. Can I also place on record my appreciation for the support of the Prime Minister the Deputy Prime Minister the Minister of Education the Associate Ministers of Education and the Māori Party for partnership schools. Partnership schools will transform education in this country. It will be a paradigm shift for the aspirations of some of the most vulnerable and poorest families in this country. Partnership schools can help deliver world-class business opportunity and success in the future for young people coming out of those schools. They will have the dignity of contributing and the dignity of work and making a difference. Roll on day 1 term one 2014.