An even cheaper way would be to use MOOCS. Lots of college’s in the USA use them as signaling/screening oppertunities. Furthermore we already have the capability with the corespondance school etc. This way one teacher could teach every school in Auckland and they don’t even need to live there.

Hear hear!

BTW, business influence in formal compulsory education – just like political influence – should be limited, in most cases absent.

Aspects of teacher education needs to change significantly. NZ’s Tomorrow’s School’s legacy is a disaster. We need to end the socioeconomic class sorting and classifying that still goes on and provide a refined, smart, intensive education system designed by subject experts – not left up to the whims and vagaries of teachers and in some cases, the students themselves. The education rich kids receive should be the education poor kids receive – all children are capable if the system treats them with respect – as young citizens, with responsibilities – no matter how long it takes, the system must provide students with support they need to succeed. Formal, publicly funded imposed education should focus on ‘educating’ children and young people – not reinforcing what they already know or will or SHOULD learn outside of school. We need our formal education system to prepare children and young people for the world and all of its beauty, magnificence, its challenges and tragedies. Children need to be intellectually engaged by well educated teachers so that they leave the system resilient, brave, fair-minded and knowledgeable.