Europe Asia News

Luxon said students would be able to apply for an exemption if they find employment or move into further education programs. Emphasizing that students who leave school should continue their education, Luxon said, “We don’t want our kids leaving school and sitting on the couch.”

Luxon said their priority in education was foundational skills and that they aimed to provide high-quality education for every student. Under the plans, students would receive one hour a day of reading, writing and mathematics instruction, mobile phone use would be banned in classrooms, structured literacy and mathematics programs would be implemented, regular assessments would be conducted so parents can track students’ progress, and the NCEA system would be changed.

Luxon also announced that the start and end dates of the school year would be aligned under a common nationwide calendar.