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A rebellion is brewing over the way tens of thousands of children are taught across the country.
Education Minister Anne Tolley has fired a warning shot at school principals who are backing a boycott of the National Standards system.
And Tolley is not happy they are taking their concerns to the
media.
She fronted up to more than 500 principals at the New Zealand
Principals' Federation conference in Queenstown today.
The principals sent a clear message to the Minister via three remits declaring they believe the National Standards will not deliver intended outcomes, they want a complete and urgent review of the system and they support regions looking to boycott National Standards training.
Canterbury principals today joined their colleagues in Auckland and Southland in backing the boycott.
The Minister swept aside the federation's agenda, saying it is by no means shared by all members of the organisation.
But principals say concerns around the country are deepening.
Federation national president Ernie Buutveld says while there
are only 500 at the conference, the organisation has had the same
concerns expressed around the country.
The Minister reminded principals they are public servants and their
right to speak to the media is a privilege.
"I think there are some principals who've made up their minds it's not going to happen or they don't like it. But actually principals don't run schools, communities run schools."
President of the Canterbury Principals Federation, Denise Torrey, says principals had "gone quiet" in the media for a while because they are trying to use the standards.
"And what happened? They found out their questions weren't being answered, the trainers seemed to be one step ahead of us, there was a lack of clarity."
Tolley has strongly recommended they all attend training workshops to understand the benefits of the system and to let her know personally if there are problems.
Tolley says the government is focused on literacy and numeracy and National Standards are a tool to ensure every child gains these foundation skills.
"Our priority is that every child achieves literacy and numeracy levels that enable their success," she says, adding that the standards merely provide benchmarks that indicate where action is needed.
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