Costly Changes In Education Approved (Press, 30 August 1986)
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Summary: Costly Changes In Education Approved (Press, 30 August 1986)
At the Labour Party conference held in Wellington on 30 August 1986, a series of ambitious and costly education reforms were endorsed, despite opposition from the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall. He expressed concerns about the financial feasibility of these proposals, stating he had no clear idea about who would fund the initiatives. Mr Marshall remarked, "Delegates want too much money spent on every aspect of education at the same time,” indicating that there was insufficient funding to address all these demands. The reforms focused primarily on enhancing pre-school and tertiary education, with delegates endorsing multiple specific initiatives aimed at improving these sectors. However, when it came to introducing a new milk or nutritious food programme in schools on a trial basis, the delegates were unable to reach a consensus and ultimately rejected both options. A significant resolution that did pass was the requirement for sex education and human development to become integral and compulsory parts of the curriculum for all primary and secondary schools. This mandate included providing information about contraception in conjunction with sex education starting from the third form, overriding parental consent requirements. Another remit concerning the portrayal of homosexuality in schools did not succeed. This proposal sought to promote visibility for gay and lesbian individuals alongside heterosexual representations and aimed to combat sex stereotyping in educational structures and lesson content. It faced strong opposition, particularly from delegates representing provincial and southern electorates. After the decisions were made, Mr Marshall made a light-hearted comment about collecting donations to fund the approved initiatives. However, he expressed a more serious sentiment by asserting that fulfilling the delegates' desires was not realistically attainable given the current financial constraints.
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