Well we know the answer to this… Just in case we all missed it before, Tolley seems quite happy to continue to prove her absolute and embarassing lack of understanding of education within New Zealand. Wonderful initiatives which have made real progress in raising student achievement levels are being ditched, and for what reason? Is it not clear that enabling our young people to realise their potential is one excellent way to minimise future, potentially highly costly social problems in this country? Is it not obvious that encouraging our citizens to succeed sows the seeds for some very positive returns in terms of our country’s ability to prosper in a global economy. Why is Tolley being so short-sighted and ignorant of our Nations needs? It is an insult to educators and an affront to us all that National would put someone as lacking as Tolley is, in charge of the education port-folio. In the meantime, educator’s who know the true worth of these programmes can but mourn their loss.

For shame National.

The COMET team met with John Key today in Otara so fingers crossed that they can convince him to overturn Tolleys decision

When I was there we got PWC to do a report on the economic value added to the families and communities through this programme. The full report is on the website under MFLP but this is the summary

“Credit Value – The tertiary partner delivers a programme which provides the adult learner with valid credits for ongoing learning or future employment. The credit value offers a pathway out of poverty for families: the PricewaterhouseCoopers report valued this at over $200 per week for a family.”

And we have seen those outcomes – many of the parents got degrees and other qualifications that they never would have had. They are now earning and reinvesting into the economy more money. They are not on benefits – everything the National Govt claims to be important – they have rejected by cutting this funding.

There is also a Parenting componant in the programme – I have met family literacy parents who said that they now know about their childs growth and development through this programme – they now know other ways to discipine without smacking and its life changing.

What I know is that you cant just give money to the teritary provider and the early childhood provider – this programme worked because COMET workers did the pastoral care, we developed the programmes, we found money for glasses for students who needed them and couldnt study without them. Every reason those parents had to give up, we did everything within our power to make the ride smooth for them – as smooth as my time through Uni was. We worked to give them every oppotunity to suceed and the National Party has taken this away.

I am devestated that this programme has been cut because it is everything this Government has said that they support. I shouldnt be surprised but I am constantly surprised about how this country has changed in the last year.