John Gerritsen
Covid-19: School mask mandate proving tricky
The mask mandate for school children is being ignored or misinterpreted by some principals and teachers.
Schools are also getting dubious or even bogus applications to exempt pupils from the… Audio
Covid-19: Auckland high schools eager to see students back
Auckland's high schools have been holding their breath to see how many students come back to class this year.
Some were worried last year's disruption would prompt teenagers to give up on school and… Audio
Covid-19: South Auckland schools asked to host vaccine clinics
South Auckland primary schools are considering whether to allow vaccine clinics on site to help vaccinate the region's five-to-eleven year olds.
Principals in the area say Counties Manukau DHB has… Audio
Parents want stricter mask rules for Playcentres
Some parents are worried facemask rules for Playcentres are unsafe and they are wearing masks even though they don't have to.
Playcentres are run by parents and follow the same Covid-19 rules as… Audio
Covid-19: Home-school enquiries surge after mask mandate
Some parents are threatening to take their children out of school because of the mask-mandate for older primary school children.
Principals say they are surprised how many families want to… Audio
Doubts grow over whether foreign students can return
Despite the promise that New Zealand's borders will open next year, there's doubt over whether foreign students will return.
Tertiary institutions are worried a pause in visa processing means few… Audio
Schools asked to help with vaccinations for under-12s
Primary schools could be welcoming children back to class with a Covid vaccination next year.
Principals say they have been asked to consider being part of the drive to immunise children between the… Audio
Spike in home-schooling applications from September onwards
The number of people wanting to home-school their children has spiked.
The Education Ministry has received more than 3000 home-schooling applications this year, 800 of them in the month of November… Audio
Fake ID cards claim diplomatic immunity from vax mandate
Fake identity cards are being used by some people to claim diplomatic immunity from covid vaccination mandates.
The Education Ministry has warned schools and early childhood centres not to accept the… Audio
Covid-19: Attendance at Auckland schools varying wildly
Auckland schools are reporting wildly different attendance rates with some families refusing to send children back to class.
It's just over two weeks since the region's classrooms were allowed to… Audio
Changes fail to improve Maori, Pacific tertiary pass rates
Years of work and hundreds of intitiatives aimed at improving pass rates for Maori and Pacific tertiary students have achieved virtually nothing. In a briefing to the Education Minister Chris Hipkins… Audio
Covid-19: Foreign student return date decision disappoints
A date for the return of foreign students has been agreed but it's left some in the international education industry disappointed and frustrated.
The end of April is two to three months after schools… Audio
Auckland teens talk about skipping NCEA exams
Auckland teenagers are citing exhaustion, being busy, and strategic thinking as reasons for skipping some or even all of their NCEA exams.
The exams began today and in Auckland, Northland and… Audio
NCEA and scholarship exams begin today
NCEA and scholarship exams start today.
First up: level two Physics and te reo Rangatira - essentially advanced te reo Maori.
Māni Dunlop speaks to RNZ's education correspondent John Gerritsen… Audio
Principals frustrated by no vaccine rule for parents
Some principals are surprised and angry that there's been no attempt to keep unvaccinated parents out of schools.
Just days after banning unvaccinated teachers from work, the Education Ministry… Audio
Covid-19: Mixed messages for students over NCEA exams
Some Auckland schools are telling their students it's up to them whether they sit their NCEA exams, because they can get an unexpected event grade instead.
But other schools are insisting their… Audio
Some missing from school staffrooms as vaccine mandate starts
There were some missing faces in school staff rooms today as the government's vaccine mandate kicked in.
Principals estimate fewer than a thousand teachers have refused to get a covid vaccination… Audio
School leaders turn to healing rifts, filling gaps
The vaccine mandate for schools is now in force, and school leaders are trying to fill the gaps in their classrooms.
Teachers must have had at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by today… Audio
Principals hoping vaccine hesitant teachers will change mind
School's out for unvaccinated teachers, with Monday the last day they've been given to get the first dose of the vaccine.
From Tuesday they're not allowed back to work on the school grounds… Audio
Covid-19: Some Auckland secondary schools delay junior students returning
Auckland and Waikato schools can reopen next week but thousands of thirteen and fourteen year olds will have to wait a little longer to get back to the classroom.
Some secondary schools in alert… Audio