Ian McKelvie Photo/File
Our teachers are a hugely important asset.
They inspire our children and give life to the learning experience. It's important that the Government supports communities to recognise and encourage their valuable contribution.
The inaugural Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards aim to do just that. They are about recognising and celebrating outstanding achievement in New Zealand education. They allow us to acknowledge the people in our communities who are delivering the best teaching to our children - those who raise the bar that bit higher.
The awards cover early childhood, primary and secondary education. The four main categories are Excellence in Governing, Excellence in Leading, Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and Excellence in Engaging. The category winners will each receive $20,000, while the supreme winner will receive an additional $30,000.
I encourage teachers, faculties or departmental teams to send in a nomination or apply now. We have a lot of talented people throughout the Manawatu-Rangitikei-Wanganui region. I know because I have witnessed it first hand during visits to many of our local schools.
Ensuring every child gets a good education is the most important thing we can do to raise living standards and create a more competitive and productive economy. It's certainly one of the Government's priorities this term. National is spending more on education than ever before. In fact, 20 per cent of all public expenditure is invested in education, which represents the second-highest spend in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
We increased spending on education - from early childhood to secondary school - for the fifth budget in a row this year. The Budget for the 2013/14 financial year is $9.7billion, which is a more than 40 per cent increase compared with 2007. Since 2008, we've also increased spending on early childhood education by 74 per cent.
National introduced National Standards too - so we can measure achievement at primary school level, so we can identify those who are falling behind, and so parents are regularly reported to about how their child is getting on at school.
We're making progress. According to the data provided, there has been an increase across the board in achievement levels in maths, reading and writing, with the greatest improvement coming from Pasifika students.
We also remain committed to ensuring that 85 per cent of 18-year-olds achieve NCEA Level 2 or above by 2017. We're on track. In 2012, 77.2 per cent of 18-year-olds had achieved NCEA Level 2, compared with 74.3 per cent in 2011.
The education sector has responded well to change during the past five years, and the results speak for themselves. Now it's time to celebrate those at the coal face - and the Prime Minister's Education Excellence Awards is the perfect way to acknowledge our best teachers for the fantastic job they're doing.
Nominations close on February 28, entries close on March 28 and the finalists will be announced in April 2014. An awards ceremony announcing the winners will be held on June 25. Entry forms are available at www.pmawards.education.
govt.nz
One last thing: destruction and carnage wreaked on the Philippines by Typhoon Haiyan is unprecedented. Our Government immediately responded with a contribution of $150,000 to the International Federation of the Red Cross. That was followed by a further $2million to support humanitarian relief efforts.
Another $1.25 million will be allocated over the coming days as the priority areas for support are identified. My thoughts are with the people of the Philippines and also family members and friends who live in New Zealand.