Red Alert education followers will remember the revelations around Tolley finally understanding just before the budget that taking $50m out of staffing meant sacking teachers – despite signing briefing notes and submissions that made that clear two and three months earlier.
Found this gem in the Holmes interview transcript :-
PAUL: One other little bit of information, of intelligence, which has come to the ear. Are teachers’ advisors, who are teachers who go around teaching teachers and advising teachers, are they going to be scrapped at the end of this year if they are not advisors on numeracy and literacy?
ANNE: I’m not aware of that… teacher advisors?
Yes Anne – that is the group that this week you finally understood that you had sacked as part of the 25% cut to teacher professional development and the ban on advice unless it related to the 3Rs.
So either she is a liar or incompetent. In her case I pick the latter.
LOL
Repelling Reasonable Recommendations. 
Does seem unusual that Paul Holmes would know details of a new policy , what it means , before the Minister does?
I wonder who in National is up on the play in Education. Peachey?… but wait Bill English????
What has happened to Peachey? I would have thought his background as a principle would have been more suitable than Tolley as Minister of Education.
I guess Peachey hasn’t been in Parliament long enough, but Tolley is quite disappointing, she hasn’t got enough of a grasp and doesn’t go out of her way to get on with people or mend fences.
Just thank your lucky stars she hasn’t been put in charge of corrections!
Trevor – I’d pick both –
In addition, its an established fact/myth that she does not read the briefings handed to her (and one would have to question the advisors and people who write the briefings – in terms of how credible some of the advice is…)and in fact signs things off as soon as she get them. Efficient? Slack? I suggest slack – or an inability to understand the information in front of her.
The advisors got the chop months ago (end of term 2!)- its not a new thing – just another cut they made with stealth – they had to do it earlier because of contract obligations I suspect- its just taken this long to get out. I have heard of people who have spoken out only to get into trouble with the ministry (losing contracts) – hows that for democratic!
I also saw the Q&A programme with her – and was gobsmacked she appeared to not understand the question – and Holmes dropped it real fast – funny how she did not know what they were when the advisors were told of the cuts ages ago – well before that show. So, liar, incompetent and might I add not very smart.
Peachy is not well liked by the sector – he is into bulk funding etc, so I don’t think its about experience – look at Trolley! She has none at all.
@Paul – anyone who is employed by the ministry is a public servant, once we get that understanding then we can see why they cannot get involved in making public or political statements. The same applies to all the school principals and teachers, any one of them who wants to get involved is on shaky ground.
Also let’s face it – did anyone in “the sector” tell people to vote National? LOL. Peachey being liked or not is irrelevant when union newsletters go out telling all their members to vote Labour. If Tolley gets moved sideways I am sure Peachey could do a much better job, in fact a very good one.
A very good job? I’m sorry, but can you point to a time when a National Minister of Education has done _anything_ good?
Wracking my brains here…
I think Les Gandar was a very good Minister of Education 1975-1978.
Swampy – I didn’t see a single teacher union publication telling members to Vote Labour. Maybe you could get one and provide a link.
And for the record teachers are state sector employees not public servants. Different rules.
Also I agree with your assertion that Peachey could do better. much better in fact not that even that is a high test.
@swampy – get involved in what? Standing up for what is right? We may be at cross purposes…Teachers can do what they like in this regard – as long as the bot that employs them is alright with it and it does not breach teachers council regs. Pretty big rope here.
I don’t ever recall unions – esp the teachers ones – telling anyone to vote for anyone – they can’t and they don’t. Ever.
@Sam – lol – true
I really don’t know what is the matter with National. You don’t balance budgets during a recession. You do it when the economy recovers. We are just at the beginning of the recovery now.
Making cuts now just increases unemployment and reduces services. Unemployed people then spend less in their local economies, and it has a harmful multiplier effect.
Not only that, but it hands little political presents to the opposition.
Don’t be sensible, Andrew!
But it worked so well last time Blinglish tried it in the late 90s, and Ruthless earlier in the decade. Not learning seems to be a widespread problem in some circles.
Not to mention the United-Reform government of 31-35 attempting to retrench their way out of a crisis that has many similarities to today’s…
Have read some of Allan Peachey’s stuff and it is quite good. He makes really good defence of NCEA (maybe thats why they didn’t pick him). He seems to have good grasp of educational theory and practice. Don’t know where he sits on the funding debate but he seems light years ahead of anyone else in National when it comes to education. Obviously this is not an advantage in National.
It appears she does not know what she is doing. I feel sorry for her Associate Ministers having to tow the line and support policy that I know they (having good educational backgrounds and general intelligence) must be privately questioning.
It appears National are taking from the minorities and small groups where they are less likely to make the nightly news but the cuts are to the detriment of NZ as a whole and particularly in the long term. School Advisors where an excellent way for a scarce resource to be best utilised. It will now be up to schools to contract these services privately, sorry low decile schools.
I don’t believe Peachey would have attempted to implement such a policy.
And although the easy target is Tolley, the real culprit is John Key. Beneath that easy going exterior is…ummm…an easy going shallowness of thought?
He is beginning to remind me of Jenny Shipley. I once read that Jenny simply (pun intended) adopted the most recent analysis that came across her desk.
Anyway, how about some of you giving me a hand over at Kiwiblog? There is no gain in preaching to the converted.
But it’s like talking to a brick wall. Plus, what he passes off as “content” is just copy-pastes from the Herald with one line interjections offering nothing substantive. It’s not a blog, it’s a Herald syndication site.
Concur Sam, I don’t want to go to the trouble of logging in to a site that, from what I viewed, doesn’t pose any really points to debate and allows personal abuse and language I consider foul. This site is far better IMHO. Maybe some of the kiwiblog posters could pop in to give their side of the debate.
LOL
the creatures the dwell within.
Swampy. All I remember of Allan Peachey for the last X years he has been sitting in parliament was some e-mail stunt where he advised a principal he had a knife in their back. A bit like John Carter and the Hone episode. I would prefer to see serious and very professional politicians in key cabinet roles.
Luc – I don’t think its John Key pushing these education barrows like national standards and advisors to suit, other than on ceremonial occasions. Why would he but the teflon at risk?
It is our beloved “Housing” minister (!) John “tenant” Key that was pushing the national standards barrow when he was spokesman on Education Minister. I don’t know if the pedigree stretches further back than that – but if we are relying on Bill “Plain” English and Chopper Tolley to define our future .. it’s going to be of concern.