UNESCO - VALUES IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Debates about values are always tinged with controversy. In education values can take the controversy to a new plateau, usually because the words alone conjure up images of talk behind the school gates about things that are normally the domain of family discussions and parental prerogative. There is always a fear that the state will super-impose in the mind of their child a view on life and the world that a parent does not share. It is an area where great care is needed. Provided that there is care, and we talk of the values we all need to share to live constructively together as a community, there won't be any conflict with the individual values held by some families which can differ profoundly from the values held by others. From that community perspective, a person's values and aspirations both affect and influence us all. They especially influence what goes on in school grounds and classrooms.

The approach to values in education this conference has taken seems to me to have been constructive. You have been debating and discussing the role education plays in helping students learn those values they need for their lives, to learn the values that we need to live together positively and happily and without which life descends in to a place where none of us want to go. This is not scandalous or controversial stuff! It seems to me it is a debate that can only strengthen the overall value of the education we deliver to young New Zealanders.

UNESCO has a long history of promoting and stimulating debate and getting people to share ideas. UNESCO has again raised a whole range of forward looking issues in the document - Learning: The Treasure Within. Getting people to really ask themselves how can we form good citizens and form individuals who are capable of effectively directing their professional and personal lives?

The topics of this conference could not be more pertinent to New Zealand at present. Look at what is happening on the education and social fronts.

In education new energy is going into programmes and initiatives to make sure each and every student has what it takes to set themselves up for the future, and that they have the education and social skills to get ahead in the workplace and in life.

Take the new draft health and physical education curriculum. It has been a long time coming, I think everyone would agree with that. The contents of it are about "learning to live together and learning to be" - it goes to the very heart of the sorts of issues you have been discussing at this conference.

The draft curriculum statement is increasingly being seen as an educational and social priority. You only need to look at the reports on the status of young people's health to see that it is. There is an urgent need to address critical health issues such as physical activity patterns, drug education, teenage pregnancy, violence in sport, bullying and youth suicide.

It gives schools a lead as to how to cope with some of these issues and how to get young people dealing with them. The curriculum focuses on the concept of total wellbeing, to me that sounds a bit like educational jargon, but its meaning is clear enough. It encourages students to think not only of their own physical, mental and emotional wellbeing but to also consider the wellbeing of others in their school communities and in society in general. It seeks to encourage students to take responsibility for their health and physical activity needs, enhance their relationships with others, and contribute positively and responsibly to their communities. The focus is on comprehensively looking at the health of students and of the communities where those students live, work and play.

On the social front, the Government has a firm commitment to the social agenda this year. We have spent many years getting the economics right - cutting debt, cutting inflation, creating jobs and bringing our economy into surplus. While the current economic circumstance is tight, it is not a reflection of a problem in our economic framework but of difficulties emerging in the global economy that we inevitably are part of. So while our economic framework is in good shape, we need now to focus on our social framework to see that we have it in the best shape possible. One of the steps we are taking to do this is to promote a community wide debate on each of our social responsibilities as individuals, and thereby raise awareness of the social issues that need addressing. The discussion document "Towards a Code of Social and Family Responsibility" is our starting point. The two pillars of this Unesco conference "learning to live together" and "learning to be" are in fact thread through the discussion booklet.

In seeking a better way for people to live together and get the most out of their lives, their family relationships, their education and their work, we are questioning traditional approaches to social problems. It is an intentional move. If we can put aside all the rather superficial rhetoric and political positioning that is part and parcel of today's media driven public policy debate, I think there is a clear need for new norms of behaviour to be established, for new boundaries to be drawn.

We all know how important education is to all young people now. We recite that daily. In years gone by it was possible to ignore the proportion of students who came through our school system with very little to show for it. In the 21st Century that will no longer be good enough as the manual low skilled jobs that assured that group a lifetime income stream are no longer there. Everyone needs good educational outcomes now. And we can only get good outcomes if we all, families, communities, and students work together.

My portfolio brings out the need for this social debate as much if not more than any other. Allow me to explain. No matter how much taxpayer resource we put into education, no matter how good our schools are and how good our teachers are, if children come to school tired because they have watched videos or TV all the evening before, have ignored the need to do homework and prepare for classes, or in worse cases, hungry because no-one has made them breakfast or prepared them a lunch, or worse still, they come to school stoned and that happens to from time to time; no matter how good a job the education system is doing, those children just will not reap the benefit they can from the education system.

These problems can only be solved if the families of the children chip in. That is what the Code is saying - the Government cannot do it on its own. It is the easiest thing in the world to blame others, but if we are going to solve our social problems, everyone, Government, community and family all have to take responsibility.

We are not trying to enforce a new moral code, or a set of values on anyone. The questions the Code discussion booklet raises do not impose a new morality on people or nose into the backyards of New Zealand families. The questions are very real and if we can resolve them with innovative answers then the aspirations and prospects of every New Zealander, their families and their communities will be brighter. Neither is this need for a commitment from all involved if the education system is to succeed new; it has always been there. What we are trying to do is to get people to think about what their responsibilities are in relation to the Government's responsibilities.

I have seen this played out many times in schools, if the community is supportive and behind the school, if parents are supportive and behind their child's education, then the child gets a much better deal out of the education system and is set up in a much better position than their peer whose education is not delivered in the same context.

Instead of approaching the Code discussion with cynicism and suspicion as some have said they will be, isn't it more constructive to use this as an exercise to see if we can find realistic ways to really turn things around for those who are missing out? Put the cynicism of some people to one side and ask yourselves what is missing from the lives of some students that stops them making the most of themselves and how can that be improved?

The Government certainly has to make sure the resources and assistance is there, but the Government alone can not do it. We can't stop parents abusing their children, we can't stop children from taking drugs or getting suspended from school and we can't force children to go to school.

You only need to look at some of the statistics to realise how important it is to address the issues.

Approximately one in 20 families are seriously at risk of their children not doing as well as they could.

14 children a day are either seriously abused or neglected.

More and more children are being suspended from school.

By the age of 16 years, at least 15% of children either attempt suicide or say they think of doing so.

If we can turn around some of the startling statistics that make it hard for young people to achieve - then their futures have to have a brighter outlook.

What the Government is saying with the discussion about social responsibility is that to get strong communities and strong social dynamics individuals and communities have a big part to play, and when they do play a part it makes all the difference.

Sometimes I think the student gets lost in all the discussion and confrontation that seems to be part and parcel of our education system. In my time in the job as Education Minister I have been amazed at the way different education interests operate, the concerns that are picked up, the outrage that is expressed, the endless claims made every day in the media about this and that and the allegations of hidden agendas. But as time has gone by and the same claims and outrage are trotted out regardless of the issue I can see so clearly that the student focus that should be driving our education system has too often been put in second place to the criticism.

One school has recently gained media headlines because it is taking steps to make a difference; that is Fraser High in Hamilton. While some have condemned and criticised, it is noteworthy that the parents have been the ones continually reported as very supportive. To me it is not detrimental for students to come back to school on a Saturday to catch up on classes they have lost out on because of their bad behaviour.

We should all have our eyes set firmly on the needs of the student and how to give the student the best chance to get the most out of their education. If they don't leave school with the optimal level of skills and attributes to get ahead in the working world and in further education and training then we have all failed.

I want schools, principals and teachers to be innovative; to do what they need to in schools to deliver the education that is best for their students.

We all know that gone are the days where one size fits all in education. The system needs to respond far better to the needs of the less academic and the intellectually gifted. We need to recognise individual learning needs and styles. This is becoming more and more the case as technology advances, as the world becomes more sophisticated and as modern, new management and employment practices come in. Schools and education institutions can not afford to be left in the past. Students are moving with the times, they demand more, their lives are more complicated and our schools have to move with them.

As I said earlier the Government is playing its part - we have put a lot of energy over the last couple of years into bringing up the infrastructure of schools, making sure they are funded properly, updating curricula, and providing updated and modern buildings.

We've also put energy into making sure teachers are paid properly, that their workload is manageable and that there are enough teachers for our ever growing number of students. We removed some age old distortions, like paying those who teach primary school aged pupils less for no other reason than that they teach primary aged pupils. We recognise that all teachers contribute to a children's education at their own level. If we were to pay a differential it should be for those who do the most for the child at whatever level; for those who perform well.

Now that we have a unified pay system, I would like to see us move on from these very mechanical or structural issues and direct our attention to making our schools modern and up-to-date education institutions where the focus is firmly on the student and providing them with an up-to-date relevant education.

We do this by making sure students are taught relevant and modern curricula, that the qualifications they study for, and leave school with, are going to give them the best possible passport to employment or to further study and training, that they have a passion and desire to learn knowing that without education their lives and futures will be of a lesser standard.

Education decisions, education legislation and education practice cannot be allowed to date back to a time when things that went on in schools now were never even thought of. We have to keep updating what we are doing so schools are in the best possible position to move forward in the 21st Century. Some think when we talk about preparing for the 21st Century that there is plenty of time to get ready for it, but there isn't. The new Century will bring with it demands for higher standards, more professionalism, people who perform whether it is students, teachers or principals, and people who play to their strengths and succeed.

We are spending a lot of time and effort on new qualifications policy. The Qualifications White Paper is due out later this year. It will give certainty and clarity about the qualifications system. There will be a White Paper on Tertiary education, and another on teacher training. The new policies in these three areas are all driven by a desire to strengthen education quality.

We are working on a range of initiatives to lift the education for students who have found it difficult to succeed in the past - we are developing an education strategy for Maori and for Pacific Islanders. We are on the ground in South Auckland with a big new effort to strengthen public education for the young people of Mangere and Otara. After a generation of bad reports about the poor quality of schools in this area, new successes are appearing. Anyone who believes public education cannot succeed in those low socio economic suburbs should visit Dawson Road Primary or the Southern Cross Campus and see themselves proved wrong. We are working now with the local community on the East Coast of the North Island on ways to lift the education for the young people there.

We as Government are very much looking forward this year to making real inroads into the long term quality of the education our students receive and how it is delivered. We are preparing for the 21st Century and will do this by improving quality and standards, involving parents and communities and building for the skills based new century.

As you leave this conference I know you will take with you ideas and suggestions that will help strengthen the education in your communities. For those of you going on to the Melbourne Conference I am certain you will come back with examples of effective educational practices from the rest of the Asia Pacific Region.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today and to conclude the formal discussion and debate on how we get young New Zealanders to learn to be and learn to live together.