Summarised by Centrist

The first charter school under New Zealand’s revived regime will open in Christchurch in early 2025. Associate Education Minister David Seymour said Mastery Schools New Zealand – Arapaki will focus on literacy and numeracy for Years 1 to 8. 

Drawing inspiration from an award-winning Australian model, he cited accelerated academic achievements and an attendance average of 82% across Mastery Schools Australia’s campuses. “MSA provided another option for students who were disengaged from the state system, and the results speak for themselves,” he said.  

Charter school system remains divisive. They operate with more autonomy than public schools and were scrapped under Labour’s previous government. However, they were reinstated following a 2024 Budget allocation of $153m for up to 15 new schools and 35 conversions of existing state schools. 

Labour and teachers’ unions argue that charter schools are a step towards privatised education. Labour education spokeswoman Jan Tinetti warned, “David Seymour’s charter schools are driven by ideology rather than evidence and are a danger to our education system.”

The newly formed Charter School Agency assures that strict achievement targets will be enforced, with the possibility of closures if they are unmet.

As interest grows—with 78 applications submitted for the first round—Seymour predicts more charter schools will follow.

Read more over at The NZ Herald

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