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Online usersWho's NewPollShould the Construction of *that* Mosque Be Allowed to Proceed?
Yes. It's a property rights/free speech issue first and foremost.
48%
No. This is war, and self-preservation trumps the enemy's self-forfeited "property rights."
41%
No. It's a sensitivity issue.
3%
Undecided. There are powerful arguments on both sides.
7%
Total votes: 29
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SOLO-Youth Press Release: The Place of Principals Submitted by Callum McPetrie on Mon, 2009-07-06 10:35
SOLO-Youth Press Release: The Place of Principals July 6, 2009 As a consequence of the National Government’s policy to publicly display school performance data, hundreds of New Zealand Primary School Principals are threatening to boycott literacy and numeracy standards. As a libertarian and Objectivist, of course I do not support state ownership of the education system. I do not support the governmental interference in matters that rightly belong to schools, teachers, students and parents. But as it stands we are stuck with government’s foot firmly in the door, and millions of taxpayer dollars go to fund primary schools. As a result, those principals threatening to boycott the standards are public servants—the public has the right to know how good our schools are, as we are paying for them! The taxpayer is their benefactor, so principals have a duty to release information about school performance publicly. Of course, the information doesn't tell all details about every aspect of schooling, but the use of it should be at the discretion of parents, not principals. In a free market for education, principals would reserve the right to release information about their schools. But in a competitive marketplace, it would be a wise decision to release information, to be better able to compete for students and the business they bring. Under the present state system, as parents are forced, through no choice of their own, to fund schooling whether they like it or not, they are at least entitled to know how those schools are performing. Luckily, Education Minister Anne Tolley believes that parents do have a right to know how about school performance. But principals, in a taxpayer-funded education system, need to remember their place as servants of the public, not masters of their children. Callum McPetrie: callummcpetrie@yahoo.co.nz SOLO: SOLOPassion.com
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Thanks for all the
Thanks for all the replies.
Marcus -we have the same zoning system here in NZ. It's a great way to segregate schools by socio-economic status.
The lunatics
have taken over the asylums.
Fine PR...
...young man.
Speaking of the Daily Mail...
...this is one of the few times I've seen NZ making frontpage news in a sort of 'reverse xenophobia'
........................................................................................................
Expats' paradise lost in New Zealand's jobs crisis - just weeks after it was named best place to make a fresh start
By Richard Shears
06th July 2009
Only a few weeks ago, New Zealand was identified as the best place for British expats to make a fresh start.
It didn't take long for the accolade to wear thin.
The dreams of hundreds who left for a better life on the other side of the world are now turning into nightmares.
The expats face losing their jobs and being kicked out of the country because of the credit crunch and what is said to be a major shift in policy by the New Zealand government...
Mr Bell said New Zealand lured skilled foreigners who filled gaps in the jobs market and added more than £3billion a year to the economy.
He said: 'The government now appears to be working hard to sabotage this lucrative source of income by effectively kicking out staff that employers badly need.
'These workers have been invited. But they are effectively being told New Zealand doesn't want them any more. Many have applications for new or renewed permits declined, even if their occupations are on the 'Essential Skills' list. Desperate employers are denied permission to keep skilled staff.'...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...
"UK school has barred parents from attending sports day"
citing a fear that a child might get abducted.
When I was a child, parents were begged to attend such occasions in order to give the teachers a hand.
Well said Callum
Your wisdom and morality both exceeds and shames older mortals.
In the UK...
...the Schools are put on what are called 'League Tables', which is a measure of which schools have the best marks.
Private schools always come out on top, but the best state schools are always in high demand too.
The Government has rationed the best state schools by making zoning restrictions. They have even gone further recently by trying to make selection of pupils at such schools a type of 'Lottery' system, all in the name of fairness. Thereby removing the original reason for their success, namely selecting the brightest children in that area.
Needless to say, after Government fucking with the system so much in this manner, the state school system is usually only used by those who can't afford or can't be bothered to go private.