Education

A report on academic freedom in New Zealand reveals threats from progressive radicalism, Chinese influence, and managerialism, stifling free speech and risking universities’ core purpose and society’s values.

New Zealand’s government replaced the board of Health New Zealand with a sole commissioner due to financial mismanagement. It is a symptom of the failure of centralisation in New Zealand.

It is time to rediscover Wilhelm von Humboldt’s educational philosophy, especially in the context of New Zealand’s educational challenges.

The new Education Minister of New Zealand, Erica Stanford, is implementing significant education reforms focusing on knowledge-rich curricula, explicit instruction, and structured literacy. These changes have the potential to set a global example in education policy.

The University of Otago’s choice of a non-traditional vice-chancellor sparks debate over the balance of political and academic acumen.

The challenge for the current generation of politicians is to have the courage to admit just how bad our education system has become. And then they need to have the courage to discard what is wrong and start again.

Young New Zealanders have been let down by an education establishment which, over decades, has run a once world-leading education system into the ground.

At the very least, schools should teach students how to read, write and calculate. Our children are wasting their potential if we do not equip them with these skills.