ELIZABETH RATA: History of New Zealand Education
Why did New Zealand have one of the best education systems in the world from the 19th century to the 1970s?
Why was that remarkable legacy deliberately dismantled? What can be done to restore quality education?
Professor Rata has produced 39 episodes that answer these questions. The first three will be released on September 18, and weekly thereafter.
Click on the video above to watch her promo for this series, and subscribe to Elizabeth's new YouTube channel here
As the saying goes, the best things in life are free. We will certainly be following this series keenly.
Love your work Dame Prof. Rata.
In my primary school years we had TEACHERS. They taught us. They were mature, usually male. Often returned servicemen from WWII.. They were disciplined, and classes recognised the fact. As a result there was never any disruption in class, and we learned. Grammar and Mathmatics, and Spelling and Word Comprehension were the order of the day.
Physical activity and Sports were also very important to promote a healthy lifestyle.
As a result of that 90% of that class went on to become high achievers at High School and beyond.
In those days there was no room for left wing union activist "teachers" promoting ideology over education.
From my own experience (not seen or understood by me at the time), this socialist indoctrination process in education, started in the 60s.
Teacher training was strongly influenced by people who genuinely saw socialism as the ideal way forward.
I can understand that - one of our dearest friends, utterly great human being, came back from being a bomber pilot in WW2, convinced that communism was the only way to save the world.
(I know, that isn't the same as socialism)
However, sitting in a circle singing kumbaya isn't often the best way forward.
They hadn't factored in human greed, generally, unless it was their own.
These socialist 'master planners', in certain sectors of education, died decades ago, but their…
My father was primary school teacher in 1960's, rose through the ranks to become a principal of large schools and finally a School Inspector. Teacher's promotions were based on gradings by School Inspector, i.e. the best performing teachers were promoted. The teacher's union (NZEI) hated this system of performance, finally under Lange's Govt who brought in "Tomorrows Schools (Fools)" they got rid of School Inspectors, performance was out and it was down to school boards and head teachers to who got promoted, i.e. the well liked/brown noses. Dad was coming up to retirement and received a massive redundancy and retired to watch the demise of Education
Learning more from the wise people of the past is probably more beneficial than what the schooling is providing and it is all there for everyone to seek and find themselves.
We should "Get Schooled" but more importantly EDUCATE OURSELVES. That's my summary of what comes next for people who do not or cannot read further.
Education and "schooling" are not the same.
Education is an ACTIVE process of seeking valid, useful and beneficial knowledge, skills AND EVENTUALLY WISDOM. Schooling is a process of indoctrinating PASSIVE children with ideas that have been approved by the politicians and bureaucrats who manage and control the schooling institution.
Those "authorities" can decide what we are taught.
They cannot decide or control what we learn. Our education…