Media barred from education minister's meeting with principals

Minister of Education Anne Tolley said the press were denied entry into a secondary school principals meeting in Auckland so that they could speak candidly. File photo / NZ Herald

Media were today locked out of a meeting between Auckland's secondary school principals and the Minister of Education where frustrations were expressed about the time it has taken to get ultra-fast broadband into schools.

Anne Tolley said the decision not to grant the press entry into the Auckland Secondary School Principals' Association (ASSPA) meeting in Auckland was so that principals and the Minister could speak candidly.

"I think it's just they feel this is a funny time, leading up to an election, and if there's no media there we can talk openly," Ms Tolley said.

"There's always a fear that the media will say 'So and So from Such and Such school is worried about X'."

Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) president Robin Duff said this was "a little unusual".

"It may be that some significant announcement is being clarified or is about to be made, that's an option, but I really don't know.

"It's not a private meeting - although obviously they can exclude people from meetings - but I would say that was a little unusual."

ASSPA secretary John Heyes said having the press at the meeting would have constrained the openness and frankness of the discussion.

The Minister said a great deal of the meeting had been about the rollout of ultra-fast broadband, which was taking longer than anticipated, which had frustrated some principals.

"There's a desire for all schools almost instantly to have access to that broadband. It hasn't happened as fast as they would like, but that's just a practicality.

"I understand that frustration, but there are budgetary constraints and we are reliant on our partners in rolling out that fibre," she said.

Ms Tolley said there had also been discussion about the Trade Academies initiative, the Youth Guarantee Scheme and newly introduced search and seizure guidelines for drugs and weapons in schools.