Minister calls on New Zealanders to have their say on future of education

WELLINGTON, April 23 (Xinhua) -- More than 5,000 New Zealand teachers, young people, parents, school board members and grandparents have already had their say about the future of education via the "Education Conversation" initiative, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday.

"This fantastic response, in such a short time, means this is already the most popular education consultation in decades. But we want even more people to join the Education Conversation to help us build the world's best education system for all New Zealanders," Hipkins said in a statement.

"Public education belongs to us all. Its future is too important to be left to politicians alone," he said, calling on people to get online, fill out the five-minute survey, and has their say.

The views shared through the education conversation will be discussed at the education summit in May and will then inform the strategies and reviews that are part of the education work program announced in February, Hipkins said.

Some students talked about wanting to learn more about technology, having more one on one time with their teachers, spending more time in their community, and the value of experiences outside of the classroom.

Board members talked about the importance of children having resilience and building emotional and social skills, according to the minister. Enditem