Editorial: Questions on failure of school

Minister of Education Hekia Parata

Whangaruru's charter school was given a last chance, and couldn't make it work. Minister of Education Hekia Parata yesterday announced she had advised the Ng Parirau Mtauranga Charitable Trust that she proposes to terminate the agreement under which it runs Te Pumanawa o te Wairua partnership school at Whangaruru.

The current board has made progress around governance and management issues, but the progress of students remains a concern.

The board now has till January 15 to provide the Minister with feedback on her proposal to terminate the Partnership Schools Agreement on March 7.

Back in July, the school had been given a last chance - Ms Parata had observed the trust's plan presented a "realistic opportunity of success". However, the plan has failed.

At least $4.4 million has been spent on the school, which opened last year, including a one-off payment of $129,000 toward remedying the ongoing issues.

It has been an expensive exercise - the trust has agreed to relinquish its land and buildings if it closes, which will help recoup some of the Government's failed investment.

Opponents of partnership schools will argue that the Whangaruru failure is an indictment of the failings of partnership schools - yet there are partnership schools succeeding. Te Kura Hourua O Whangarei Terenga Paraoa is doing good things for students who otherwise were not flourishing in mainstream schooling.

The irony of Whangaruru's failure is that some of its failure must be attributed to factors prevalent within mainstream Northland schools - poor governance and management.

Mainstream schools get commissioners - charter schools get shut down.

The Government needs to ask itself some hard questions around the governance and curriculum support it gave Te Pumanawa o te Wairua in reasonably uncharted waters.

The Government shouldn't just share the blame, it should shoulder it, in many people's view.