General News

NZEI says expert research on National Standards backs up the deep concern being expressed by principals and teachers and proves that they are doing thousands of children a disservice.
The New Zealand Council for Educational Research has found that about 35 per cent of Year 8 students will not reach the National Standard in maths despite making normal or satisfactory progress for their age on the Progressive Achievement Test.

Eduvac/The Education Weekly welcomes news and information from schools and communities by e-mail, fax or mail.
It can be e-mailed to ­eduvac@millspublish.co.nz with attention news in the subject line along with digital photographs saved as jpeg images – full-sized images only.
You can also send it to our postal address: PO Box 26-302, Epsom, Auckland 1344, or by Fax to 09-849 7103.

According to the English Language Providers survey, there were 41,798 international students enrolled in English language schools in the year ended March 2010, Statistics NZ has said.
This is an increase of 4,808 (13.0 per cent) from the previous year.

See the changes that took place in NZ following World War II and how they transformed the Kiwi way of life forever.
Between July 1945 and March 1946, 73,000 men and women came home from serving in the War overseas.
Upon their return a number of astonishing developments were made including a total re-construction of the roading system in Auckland, the first automatic traffic lights were installed and a Royal Commission in favour of building the Harbour Bridge was passed.
In this new exhibition, notice the change in social structure in NZ once the war was over as women who had stayed behind and adapted to masculine war time roles returned to their jobs as mothers and homemakers.

More than 370 kids from across Auckland descended on LynnMall Shopping Centre over the July school holidays, donning their chef hats and aprons in aid of a fabulous cause.
The Kids Cook at LynnMall campaign aimed to teach young ‘masterchefs’ basic cooking skills and about healthy eating, while supporting the Foundation for Youth Development (FYD). Over the two week period, the campaign raised more than $4,300 for the Foundation.

Understanding China is essential for the future of NZ, according to a businessman who has funded a new scholarship at Victoria University.
“We want young NZ’ers to engage with China, to understand the culture and connect with the Chinese leaders of tomorrow,” says Rodney Jones, who established the James Bertram Scholarships through the Victoria University Foundation with his wife Sajini Jesudason.
“A greater awareness of China is essential for NZ in the 21st century,” says the investment banker, who was a partner with the Soros Fund in Asia before returning to NZ.

Leading Maori academic Dr Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai has been appointed the first academic director of the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.
Her appointment was announced at the end of June by chair of the College board of trustees, John Heremia.
Dr Tiakiwai has had a long association with the vision of the college, working closely alongside Tainui’s chief negotiator, the late Sir Robert Mahuta, whose dream was to create a post graduate facility for the tribe.

There will be no Maori Language Award given this year in the country’s most prestigious book awards – the New Zealand Post Book Awards – as there were no books submitted into that category; a sign, says Te Reo advisor and Awards’ judge, Paul Diamond that there are still very few books being written or published for adults in Maori.

Mobile access plays an increasingly important role as NZ’ers use the Internet both at home and away from home, Statistics NZ has said. In over half of households with the Internet in 2009, a laptop or a handheld computer was used to access the Internet at home, five times more than in 2006.

Many schools feel their hands are tied when it comes to providing for children with high special educational needs, according to the education sector union NZEI.
An Education Review Office (ERO) Report has found that half of the schools in its study were inclusive for students with high needs.  A further 30 per cent had some inclusive practices, while 20 per cent could demonstrate very few. 
NZEI says those children looked at in the ERO report are at the very top end of the high need scale.