Maxim's View: Tana fronts up education campaign

Trevor Mallard has announced the appointment of Tana Umaga as an education ambassador for New Zealand. He will be paid $120,000 as part of a new $15.9 million education campaign. The education campaign aims to provide parents with information to help them get more involved in their children's education.

The campaign's publicity will use television, radio and print media involving Tana Umaga. Whilst the campaign may be well meaning - it misses the vital point that New Zealand parents already want to be involved with their children's education. The problem is not in parental willingness but in government policy.
	Photo courtesy of AllBlacks.com

Many parents are not able to choose where their child attends school. Parents have virtually no say in how their child is examined, what qualification their child leaves school with, how the school is governed, how the school is funded, what their children are taught and who teaches them, how the school is reviewed and what values are taught at the school. In addition, parents do not have access to understandable data that enables a comparison of their local schools.

Tana Umaga is undoubtedly a great role model. But if the government really wants to encourage parents to be involved it should try spending the $15.9 million on giving parents more opportunities to be involved.

• This opinion piece comes from the Maxim Institute's regular Real Issues email newsletter.

An article on the logic of school choice by Martin Hames is in the summer edition of the Maxim Institute's Evidence.

An Education Forum hot topic on school choice.