Kia ora e te whānau

I am delighted to announce that Bali Haque will be a keynote speaker at our NZPF Conference 2-4 August in Rotorua.

Bali is a fierce critic of our current education system which, in his view, is not nationally connected but instead is fragmented, variable and lacks trust. He points to the wastage, duplication and workload issues that blight education and the absence of support for the leadership of principals - including in leading the curriculum - and the disjointed nature of professional learning.

You will be aware that he espoused these views when he was Chair of the Tomorrow’s Schools Taskforce. This group proposed major structural changes including that Boards of Trustees would no longer employ principals; and Education Service Agencies (ESAs) would be created, as separate entities from the Ministry of Education, for the delivery of services to the sector.

Bali argued that, such moves were necessary because of the “shocking lack of trust” in the Ministry of Education and the structural vulnerability and lack of system support for principals.

Let’s be quite clear, principals do a job that few others would consider. The sheer range of responsibilities, the paucity of professional resourcing and support, the isolation and having to reinvent the wheel on every system requirement create a constant cycle of challenges. In addition, principals work in an environment of vulnerability due to the complex and tenuous employment relationship they have with their Boards of Trustees, which can become dysfunctional at any time.

The data from the Principals’ Legal Advice and Support Scheme (PASL) owned by NZPF, shows how much damage is wrought on principals when things go wrong with Boards.

While Minister Hipkins only supported some of the recommendations of the Tomorrow’s Schools Taskforce, I am looking forward to hearing Bali expand on the real changes that are needed, when he speaks at our conference.

The Minister has supported the establishment of the ESAs, not as separate entities but within the Ministry of Education. This move rejects the separation that Bali insisted was necessary. Boards of Trustees were retained as the employer but with the creation of a Code of Conduct. Also supported was the establishment of a Leadership Centre.

Much less clear is whether the Ministry intends to reestablish the sector led curriculum advisory service so that teachers and principals can have the assistance of high-quality curriculum and pedagogical expertise to help guide their work in each curriculum discipline. It is necessary to join up our decentralised education system. It is crying out for greater national coherence.

Fundamental to the changes supported by Minister Hipkins is the urgent need to deal with a lack of trust in the system.  This includes that support will be available when it is needed, particularly for those schools who currently experience inequitable support.

Minister Hipkins has been reported as saying that COVID was a significant watershed in building trust between the Ministry of Education and schools. However, the precious goodwill must be backed up by action.

To date, the redesign of the Ministry has been achieved behind closed doors and the sector has yet to experience any meaningful consultation around the ESAs. A good test of the willingness of the Government to back their rhetoric with action will come next Thursday in Budget 2021. Principals will be looking for recognition that their cries for help with behaviour and learning support have been heard.

Amidst the COVID health crisis principals worked closely and in collaboration with the Ministry to establish the best home learning that they could in a very short time. What was achieved through lockdown was exceptional and it was in large part due to the trust that the Ministry gave the sector and vice versa.  The sector wants that trust to continue and grow as does the Minister. That takes both parties to listen and respond to the difficult daily challenges we all face in our schools, including challenges presented by our most complex young people. It takes both parties to be inclusive and share developments, such as the ESAs, not wait until they are presented to the media.

Some of Bali Haque’s Tomorrow’s Schools thinking was not supported by Minister Hipkins but this doesn’t invalidate it. It is still relevant.

I am increasingly of the opinion that Bali was right to insist on major structural reform. Nothing I have seen yet in the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms gives me confidence that the necessary sea change is afoot or that the isolation and vulnerability of principals will be effectively dealt with. I am not witnessing real trust being nurtured, for example, through being invited to co-construct the ESAs.  

Hearing Bali’s challenges first-hand will be a critical guide in our work to evolve a much better system than the one we currently work in. Make it a priority to attend the NZPF Conference 2-4 August. The early bird fee closes May 26.

The time for tinkering and timidity has long since passed. The time for a decisive and brave Government to grow and resource a much more connected system that nurtures and protects principals, is well overdue.   

Ngā manaakitanga

Perry Rush
perry@nzpf.ac.nz