Maybe I'm a bit behind the times, but I first noticed the use of the term "Independent Schools" at a public forum on Adult and Community Education a few weeks back in Christchurch. It was a well attended meeting with around 500 members of the public attending and some powerful speeches from the Principal of Papanui High Denis Pyatt, one of the best Labour MP speeches I've heard (from Maryan Street), and some great moments from CLASS President Maryke Fordyce.
Fordyce answered the claims about "priorisation" brilliantly by pointing out that ACE had survived numerous Governments, a Great Depression and two world wars.
This was a "middle NZ" audience and the National MPs, Nicky Wagner and Aaron Gilmore, went down like a cup of cold sick. The lines supplied to Nicky Wagner and Aaron Gilmore about "pixies printing money", and "prioritisation" just didn't cut the mustard when the Government had just increased funding to private schools by $35 million.
For some reason (beyond my comprehension) Nicky Wagner decided that she would put forward the case for private schools, but instead of calling them "private schools", she kept calling them "independent schools". A framing that clearly didn't impress the audience who shouted out "private" every time she used the word "independent".
But clearly it is part of the right-wing song sheet. Because tonight, in a very interesting piece on National's $35 million increase in funding to Private Schools on Campbell Live, those on the right used the term "independent schools" several times (particularly Heather Roy, but also the Headmaster of Kings College, Bradley Fenner and the "Independent Schools NZ" Director Deborah James.
It seems some people don't have to share the burden of the recession like others do and need a bit of a hand out from the Government to help them get by.
People who pay most of the taxes who are essentially sending them to independent schools. What you do not realise is that many parents sacrifice considerably so that their children can escape the dreadful state school they are zoned into and send their children to an independent school. If I had my way I would set up a strike with the Teachers Union and destroy them. I would be prepared to shut education down for 12 months and get them right out of the public policy issues in education. I despise teachers, always have, always will.
Posted by: tim barclay | August 26, 2009 at 03:59 PM
Being bold does not mean destroying the economy or allowing the issue of climate change to be a trojan horse to have wide ranging socialist controls and punitive taxes. But some issues like methane emission from livestock can really only be cured by research. Once a viable product is available then tax incentives, and regulation might work. In the end NZ is not a polluter so our buy-in is moral only. I am prepared to free-load on this issue for a while. The Labour Party should not object to that as they like to free-load on international security issues and support welfare lifestyling.
Posted by: tim barclay | August 29, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Was that comment supposed to be part of another thread Tim?
Posted by: Tony Milne | September 01, 2009 at 10:02 PM