Yesterday morning, Ms Parata said the Government would invest an extra $511.9 million into new initiatives over the next four years in a focused bid to raise pupil achievement. It will take the Government's total investment in early childhood education and schooling to $9.6 billion for 2012-13.
In addition to the $304 million already being spent on professional learning and development, an extra $60 million will be invested over the next four years to boost new teacher recruitment and training.
A post-graduate qualification will also be introduced as a minimum for all trainee teachers, and schools leadership will be improved through the introduction of a new pre-principalship qualification.
To raise teaching quality, the ministry would also identify who is delivering successful practice and make that common practice, Ms Parata said.
"We will collaborate in the development of an appraisal system focusing on driving up quality teaching and quality professional leadership.
"Performance pay is but one of a basket of options to reward and recognise that."
Class size would stay the same for new entrants, at 1:15. Years two to 10 ratios, which ranged from 1:23 to 1:29, would be moved to 1:27.5. Pupil-teacher ratios for pupils sitting NCEA exams in years 11-13 would be standardised at 1:17.3 instead of 1:17 and 1:23. Ratios will remain at 1:15 for new entrants' classes.
The changes would take effect over the next five years and free up more than $43 million each year for the next four years, which would be reinvested back into education, she said.
Otago Primary Principals' Association president and Wakari School principal Brent Caldwell said the plan was outrageous. He believed the change to staffing ratios would set children up for failure.
"It can be argued that given the large numbers of children arriving at school ill-prepared for learning, that smaller classes will be critical for some time to take advantage of the work done in year 1.
"By year 2 they may be fully ready for learning and it seems ironic that they should be left less supported by being in a big class.
"Having lower class sizes only when they arrive in year 10 will be too late.
"In a way, it is like a farmer saving all his staff for the harvest by cutting the numbers of workers planting the crop; it doesn't make sense."
While the Government appeared to be prioritising education, he said it was "out of touch" with the needs of the sector, and the move would divert the public's attention away from the raft of serious factors that affected children's ability to succeed in school, such as socio-economic status and the nurture of learning in the home.
"It takes a village to raise a child. The narrow view that each child has one teacher all year and only they can make the difference is far too simplistic.
"How will the performance-related pay for teachers recognise the input of all those people who contribute to the well-rounded education our children receive?
"The message is clear. Accountability measures and trade-offs due to fiscal restraint matter more than our children and their future," he said.
