Migrant Stories - Education

Stories about education, and not just from migrants These are all from genuine sources, click on links to see the source:

Kids And Schooling
"Been here nearly three years now, when we arrived my son who was seven seemed to be a year ahead. But alas, three years latter he has been dragged down to the NZ standard. Do any other posters feel their kids education is gonna suffer for living in NZ. The future is not rosy for your kids in the long term, they will soon do a sharp exit when they are old enough as there is nothing to keep them here, especially Canterbury.

So all of you prospective immigrants beware, short term gain long term pain. So much so back to the UK it is.

Along with this, NZ has not lived up to expectations in other departments as well, It's sold as a lifestyle change the only advantage I have is I only work part time. Basically there is nothing to do here. Christchurch can be done in a day, then what? Limited activities and limited access to the countryside. But I suppose it's what you are accustomed to, just to many downsides to list.

Returning to the kids, when they have flown the nest, are you happy to spend the rest of your life here with your immediate family thousands of miles away?"

Response to the above: "We got here in July,just as the kids had finished a full year of schooling back home. When we got here we had the thoughts of do we make them repeat 6 months?? and allow them to settle in and not need to worry about the school work or jump ahead 6 months?? and see how they settle. The Principal made the decision to do the former,but we wish he had done the latter. My boys are bored out their heads and know much more than their class mates. I am trying my best to ensure they do not fall away from their present levels and capabilities by encouraging reading,extra maths, research etc but do not want them to be too far ahead so that they are bored in class!!!!AAARRGGHH it is really frustrating. Having said that cannot fault the school or staff in any way, it is the system.

What's a teacher's view on this?


"Students Get NCEA Without Learning Anything"
Students can get NCEA, that is gain credits without actually 'learning' anything. I watch it happening all around me in my high school. The teachers do all their work, the kids just type or write the answers. Its a scam so we can pretend that we have an educated population. In fact we have kids illiterate in 2 languages [Maori and English],

Teachers who are undereducated who came through makeshift courses designed to give them a degree much like a birthday present, and yes teachers and students lacking in numeracy skills.

My school is a 'pretend' school. Kids spend more time on so-called extra and co-curricular then they do in 'learning' to read, to comprehend, to write [yes, to write, I had a 15 year old ask me to teach him how to write last week], to do the sums that will help them manage their money or more likely 'the dole'.

National Standards may begin to redress that. I live in hope...I teach high school boys who still cannot write a sentence or comprehend even at senior school.

Basics at primary school is essential and a lot less of computers, games, cellphones and TV. The kids are so addicted they get angry when deprived; they come to school exhausted because they've spent the night on some electronic device.

The violence and abuse of teachers in schools has also increased and is out of hand even to kids throwing stones at a teacher without any consequence!"


See also news reports:
Schools fall behind on new lesson plan - only 2% of schools ready for overhaul of national curriculum
We fail in basic maths - 1/3 of students entering secondary schools are numerate says university lecturer

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