National’s own goal

Every government makes mistakes, but this National-led government has made more than most. In their first term, they announced plans to mine sensitive conservation land—only to have to make an embarrassing backdown. We now know that was just an indicator of things to come.

Earlier this month, the government announced that it was going to cut government spending by increasing class sizes in public schools by four students per teacher. The idea for this came from Treasury—TREASURY! That alone should have told National what a colossally stupid this idea was. As I said on a Facebook friend’s posting about it:

Taking advice on what's best for education from Treasury—well, they ARE the experts on education, right? I'm thinking that they all probably had a teacher at some point in their lives, and for this government, that's all that's required to be an expert in the field—just ask Anne Tolley or Hekia Parata.

All sarcasm aside, this has got to be among the dumbest proposals yet from a government renowned for its stupidity. The increased class sizes start before kids have even learned to read. They also ignore the fact that classrooms are likely to include perhaps several children with special needs. The sooner we can change the government, the better!

I stand by every word of that. And, I’ve been vindicated: The government has already announced a partial backdown, declaring that schools will “only” lose one or two teachers. This whole mess is, as John Armstrong put it in yesterday’s New Zealand Herald, “just plain dumb politically.” Is it ever!

Or, maybe not.

The New Zealand Herald also reported yesterday that roughly half of all the cabinet ministers send, or have sent, their own children to private schools—schools which tout on their websites about how important small class sizes are to learning. Do as they say, not as they do?

What I find every bit as appalling is that a further two cabinet ministers flat out refused to say if their children attend state schools or private schools. These people make decisions that affect ALL New Zealanders, so we have an absolute we have a right to know if they’re affected or not, and whether they like it or not.

Here’s what they’re afraid of: Only 4% of New Zealand children attend private schools, and only 20% of kids from rich families. So, half of the cabinet ministers are elite among elites. In addition, a quarter of cabinet ministers also attended private schools. As Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn so aptly observed:

Which neatly explains why they are happy to wreck the state education system: because it’s not their kids who will suffer. It also explains why they are so keen to give public money to private schools: because this directly advantages their kids, and lowers the fees they have to pay. So we end up with one education system for politicians, and another for us.

Do as they say, not as they do.

Our message to politicians is simple: Do as WE say or you will not be able to do anything in politics again. I wonder if they will—or even can—learn that lesson.