$10.5m funding boost for maths & science in schools

The Government is providing $10.5 million in additional funding for schools to raise student achievement in maths and science, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata announced today.

“Boosting the skills and achievement of our young people in maths and science are essential for their future careers and for New Zealand’s economic growth and prosperity,” Mr Joyce says.

“The reality is New Zealand needs more people with fundamental skills in science, technology, engineering and maths, or STEM subjects, and that is a strong focus of this Government.”

Ms Parata says the Government recognises that to make a positive difference to STEM achievement in this country, more resources and effort are required at our primary and intermediate schools.

“The Government is putting in an extra $7 million over the next four years in two existing programmes, Accelerated Learning in Mathematics and BES Exemplar 1, to raise student achievement in maths through the up-skilling of teachers.  Another $3 million is being spent over the next two years to boost learning and teacher support across the science curriculum,” Ms Parata says.

“We know that quality teaching and strong leadership in schools help boost student achievement and we are committed to supporting our teachers.”

In addition, more than $500,000 is going into the development of more than 60 science learning resources to assist teachers in encouraging more young New Zealanders to succeed in science.

Findings from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) reports on science and writing have also been released this week. They show that most Year 4 and Year 8 students’ scientific knowledge is gained from listening to teachers rather than investigating their own questions or applying science to issues of concern to them. Teachers working with Year 4 and Year 8 students say they enjoy teaching science, though some report feeling less confident in their ability when it comes to teaching science.

"We want all teachers to feel confident and enthusiastic about teaching these subjects, and these resources will help them to do that. In turn that will ensure that all our children and young people get a better education and a stronger grounding in mathematics and science," Ms Parata says.