Ministry of Education told it lacks ‘shape’
The Ministry of Education is licking its wounds after a poor review from a combined team of State Services Commission, Treasury and Department of the Prime Minister officials. The review ranks the ministry the lowest out of ten government departments so far reviewed.
The ministry, which has taken on an more intensive role in tertiary education as a response to the Tertiary Education Commission’s reduced and restricted role, was criticised for lack of leadership, direction and efficiency. It was also criticised for being too consultative:
“There is a consultative expectation in the wider education sector. This aligns with the collegial approach within the ministry resulting in a high weight on consensus and leading to processes that are at times very slow to reach conclusion. Risk aversion adds to the likelihood that urgency is lost and can lead to a perception of inertia and lack of responsiveness,” states the review.
The Dominion Post reports that the review also casts doubt on the ministry’s ability to deliver on the government’s youth guarantee scheme and transition from secondary to tertiary education.
“It will be very challenging for the ministry … and will call for the use of skills in areas where the ministry has not been strong in the past,” it says.
Departing Education Secretary Karen Sewell told the Dominion Post the same problems had already been identified by the ministry and a programme had been under way for 18 months to improve effectiveness.
TEU national president Sandra Grey says it is hard to draw much from the report other than the government’s intentions.
“Although just released, the review was actually undertaken six months ago. With regard to tertiary education the ministry is already clearly moving to meet the government’s call for ‘heightened leadership focus’, ‘direction and shape’ and ‘greater fiscal efficiency’. Behind the consultancy jargon we are likely to see a ministry that aligns more closely with the government’s agenda of cut and corporatise, rather than collaborating with the many stakeholders in the sector,” said Dr Grey.
