North Harbour Regional Manager Neil Kumar recently had the opportunity to meet Minister for Education and Immigration Erica Stanford at an event organised by the West Auckland Principals Association, where she was the guest speaker.
The event gave local principals the chance to talk openly about some of the challenges they’re facing. The Minister also shared updates on initiatives underway to support schools and improve outcomes for children, while also taking the time to listen to feedback from those working on the frontline of education.
But the highlight for Neil came as things were wrapping up. He ended up in a quick one-on-one conversation with Erica, sharing a perspective from home.
“As she was leaving, I thanked her for the work she has been doing to improve our education system,” says Neil.
Erica stopped and they two had a brief but meaningful conversation. Neil discussed how the new curriculum has benefited his son. The refreshed curriculum puts more focus on teaching reading and writing in a clear, structured way, with greater emphasis on things like phonics, spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure. It also gives teachers clearer guidance on what children should be learning at each stage, helping them build their skills step by step.
“I mentioned that since the new reading and writing curriculum was introduced, I’ve already noticed a positive improvement in my son’s learning.”