Science research given $54 million boost

Steven Joyce | Science and Innovation

New Zealand's top scientific researchers have been awarded $54.6 million in Marsden Fund grants, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce announced today.
The funding will go towards financing 86 new projects that were selected from 1113 applicants, who submitted proposals for consideration.
"The Marsden Fund is one of New Zealand's premier investigator-led research funds. Each project selected this year went through a rigorous selection process and the successful applicants were chosen on the basis of scientific excellence," Mr Joyce says. ... read more
http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/programmes/funds/marsden/awards/2012-awards/

Beneficiary Parents “Not Able to Home School” Under Bill

Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett last week told parents that under the new Social Security (Benefit Categories and Work Focus) Amendment Bill, beneficiaries will face increased government discrimination in seeking exemptions to home educate ...

Kohanga hui start on Waitangi Tribunal report - Radio New Zealand

Radio New Zealand
The Kohanga Reo National Trust Board has started its national campaign to talk to its supporters about a report that's suggested the Crown should say sorry to Maori pre-schools. The trust is meeting with its whanaunga (those associated) following the ...

Push to get Maori students on top - Marlborough Express

Marlborough Express
That was the message Associate Eduction Minister Dr Pita Sharples delivered at a Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand conference in Palmerston North yesterday. Dr Sharples said that for 50 years reports had pointed to the underachievement ...

Payroll problems force schools to pay teachers out of operations funding - New Zealand Herald

Otago Daily Times

New Zealand Herald The Ministry of Education has confirmed that in the last pay cycle of the $29 million Novopay payroll system, introduced in August, up to 100 teachers were either not paid or underpaid. Associate Education Minister Craig Foss also confirmed during ... Wake up Mr Foss and fix teachers' payroll - Mahuta Voxy Education Ministry reassures over payroll system Manawatu Standard Payroll issues still plaguing schools Stuff.co.nz Otago Daily Times -Newstalk ZB -Scoop.co.nz (press release)

Huge cuts to UCOL - Stuff.co.nz

Stuff.co.nz
The loss of its Student Achievement Funding (SAC) allocation for level one and two courses from the Tertiary Education Commission will also affect 19 training programmes and UCOL will offer training to 375 fewer fulltime equivalent students next year ...

Study up, bro: Kiwiana course to explore our culture

University of Canterbury students may soon be donning Swanndris and jandals while chowing down on mince pies and kiwifruit in the name of learning.

Last term for principal after 24 years - Wanganui Chronicle

Wanganui Chronicle
National Standards have meant that a few children who, even though they have made incredible progress, are not recognised because although their work is in line with the curriculum it is not up to the national standards. "And these are children who ...

Is homework good for you?

Two Australian academics have reviewed all international research on homework and have found that for primary school children, it has little or no academic value.

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Original audio source (mnr-20121025-0823-is_homework_good_for_you-048.mp3)

principals distrust Govt data - Stuff.co.nz

Stuff.co.nz
Principals are questioning the information being used to justify the Government's proposed Canterbury education shake-up, with one describing a new report as a "dishonest manipulation of the data". The Press is today publishing comprehensive data ... and more »

Popular kids destined for success - Stuff.co.nz

Stuff.co.nz

Stuff.co.nz "While current research focuses on the eff ect of class size on cognitive achievement ... our results suggest that a deeper understanding of the eff ect of school size and composition on the development of social skills is needed," they said. "Policies ... and more »

Jim Elliston: Educators there to help us see truth

Trent Kays makes some very good points about both teaching and the effects of social attitudes on people's views, but I have two problems with his position. One relates to the nature of education; the other to the health of society...
Original enclosure ( Getty Images)