John Gerritsen
The Tomorrow's Schools report explained
The government's school reforms could spell the end for skewed school zones.
It is creating a new division of the Education Ministry that will review and redraw schools' enrolment zones and review… Audio
Government to announce decisions on school review
The Government will reveal today whether it wants a massive overhaul of the school system or something a little less ambitious.
The Education Minister, Chris Hipkins, is releasing the final report of… Audio
NCEA and Scholarship exams begin
Teenagers around the country are trying to turn off their phones, stay off Instagram and study for NCEA and Scholarship exams which begin on Friday.
The three-and-a-half week exam season starts this… Audio
Ministry wants to ban choke-risk foods from ECE centres
Sausages, chips and popcorn could be banned from early childhood centres because of the choking risk they pose for under-five-year-olds. The Education Ministry says pre-schoolers are at a higher risk… Audio
Teens describe rapid rise of vaping
Teenagers say vaping is addicting their friends to nicotine and a Rotorua principal is urging the government to restrict access and advertising of vaping products before Christmas. Meanwhile, primary… Audio
Teen describes rapid rise of vaping
School principals say the rapid rise of vaping among teens has spread beyond Auckland and they are hoping promised law changes will happen before the end of the year. They say some of their students… Audio
Donation dilemma for mid-decile schools
Some schools are facing a tough decision over the government's scheme for abolishing donations in schools in deciles one through seven. Many of those in the upper end of that range, deciles five, six… Audio
NZQA considers axing entire diploma category
Foreign students not meeting English language standards and being marked too favourably could result in the abolition of an entire class of qualification. More than half the people who enrol in level… Audio
Fewer school leavers gaining NCEA qualifications
The number of teens leaving school with NCEA qualifications fell for the first time last year. Fewer school leavers had NCEA 1, 2 or 3 than in 2017 and 7,000 had no qualifications at all. RNZ's… Audio
Auckland schools struggling to find teachers
Auckland primary school principals are warning that the city's long-running teacher shortage is as bad as ever and some say it is worse. They say some job vacancies are attracting no applications at… Audio
Auckland principal describes impact of teacher shortage
Auckland's primary school principals are worried that there has been no let up in the city's teacher shortage. They say nobody is applying for some of their job vacancies and they are not confident… Audio
Student alleges cheating, misbehaviour at polytech
A former international student has complained that he saw cheating and unruly behaviour in a course at Whitireia Polytechnic last year. The polytechnic has denied the allegations, saying it hasn't… Audio
Special education waiting lists grow despite increased support
Demand for specialist help for children with disabilities is outstripping the Education Ministry's ability to keep up. Figures provided under the official information act show the number of children… Audio
Special education waiting lists grow despite increased support
The number of children with disabilities waiting for support from the Education Ministry has increased, even though the ministry is helping more children than ever. The ministry worked with 36,476… Audio
Principals oppose NCEA tests for primary school children
Primary and intermediate school principals are fighting a proposal to let children as young as 11 sit new high-stakes NCEA tests in literacy and numeracy. Students will have to pass the… Audio
Universities warned as dependence on Chinese students grows
Enrolment figures show universities are becoming more dependent on Chinese students, despite efforts to diversify. Education Ministry figures show 18 percent of university students last year were from… Audio
Schools unsure of legal rights in emergency lockdowns
School principals are worried they could be breaking the law by stopping parents from collecting their children during emergency lockdowns.
They want clarity from the Education Ministry following an… Audio
Tertiary institutes look to tech firms to end ethnic disparity
Universities and polytechnics hope to end decades-long disparities in Maori and Pasifika students' pass rates in just a few years by copying big companies like Amazon. The Tertiary Education… Audio
Canterbury schools ill-prepared for lockdown - report
Many Canterbury schools were ill prepared and confused when ordered to go into lockdown when the Christchurch mosque attacks began. A report has found many of the 221 schools and early learning… Audio
US university leads way in solving ethnic disparities
An American university has been showing New Zealand institutions how to dramatically lift pass rates for under-performing groups like Maori and Pasifika students. Georgia State University in Atlanta… Audio
