Friday, August 01, 2014

Breach of contract

When National set up charter schools, they promised that they would be more accountable, and that contracts were a better means of enforcing standards than the usual school system.

Only if they're enforced:
“The Whangaruru contract online shows that the school must have a minimum of 70 per cent registered teachers. However, the staff record that our offices have shows that only one of the nine staff has a current practicing certificate.”

“The school’s students are being short changed by the National Government – a government that continues to pretend that it cares for our challenged students.


Sounds like this charter school is in breach of its contract. Which means that the government must enforce the penalty clauses in their contract - assuming there are any. If they can't or won't, then the school must be closed down. Otherwise their promises of "accountability" mean nothing.

Sadly, I think the chances of the government actually doing what is required here are nil - partly because it would be an admission of failure from the government, but mainly because the entire policy is about shovelling money at chosen cronies with no oversight. But I live in hope that politicians might actually do what they say they will do, rather than treating the public and our democracy with blatant contempt.