Making a statement

Those who thought that new Education Minister Hekia Parata might be a softer touch than her predecessor Anne Tolley might be having a re-think; John Hartevelt reports on Stuff:

The Government is eyeing the establishment of a new website comparing the performance of secondary schools.

Education Minister Hekia Parata this morning said parents should take a look at a site set up in Australia which allows parents to check the performance of thousands of schools nationwide.

Parata said she would consider setting up a New Zealand equivalent to the Australian website, which includes statistical information about the achievement of students and the finances of private and public schools.

The Australian example ''deals with a number of the concerns that have been rumoured'' about the risks of league tables, Parata said.

''In particular, for instance, it compares only statistically similar schools. One of the concerns that have been expressed here is that like might not be compared with like.'' Parata said.

''I think that parents vest a lot of trust in the principals and teachers of the education sector - and so they should - and that trust should be returned by letting parents know accurate information about what's happening.''

And Ms Parata seems to have wasted no time in taking advice from her colleagues across the ditch; read on:

Parata met with her Australian counterpart Peter Garrett and with the Victorian state government's education minister Martin Dixon in Melbourne at the weekend to discuss ''a wide range of topics''.

When she first entered Parliament at the 2008 election, there were suggestions that Hekia Parata might, like Stephen Joyce, be immediately appointed to Cabinet. John Key resisted that temptation, but Ms Parata has been given a vote of confidence by her leader in the wake of the 2011 election.

And it's pleasing to hear the words such as "accountability" and "information" being mentioned:

In their education policy announced days before the November 26 election, National said its "next steps" on the controversial national standards scheme would include using performance information to "strengthen the accountability of schools". There would also be work to have the results of students in years seven to 10 made clearer.

''I think that we invest billions of dollars in the education sector and that New Zealanders are entitled to know what value we're getting for that money and that means having accurate information available," Parata said.

''Making information available I think is part of the democratic tradition in New Zealand and it's one that I would like to see continue.''

In a speech to an education conference in Hamilton last week, Parata said she wanted to "encourage professional competition in the context of collaboration".

"When you do that, you not only improve yourself, you improve those around you," she told an audience of teachers.

Today's announcement suggests that Hekia Parata is going to be a formidable Minister of Education, and that she is going to demand performance from the sector, together with value for the billions of dollars spent annually. Whilst some may find that threatening, we reckon that Ms Parata is signalling her intention to be a strong and innovative Minister, and that bodes well for the future of our children.