September 30, 2016
Digital opening door to opportunity
Education Minister Hekia Parata says parents need to overcome their scepticism and support the digital opportunities available to today’s students.
Ms Parata is in Jerusalem this week attending the Global Education Industry Summit on the use of digital technology in education.
She says many parents are suspicious of things that are different from their own school experience, but the creativity and entrepreneurship that is part of being Maori means kids should be up for the challenge.
The government has invested heavily in connecting schools to ultra fast broadband, and it needs to encourage teachers and students to take up the opportunities.
"Kura have led the way in this, often by necessity where they have shared subject knowledge and teachers from one kura to another and used digital technology to do that, tom share resources, share support and so on, so we now need to take it to another level because there are really big career and job opportunities off the back of these digital technologies and I want to make sure all our kids have access to those," Ms Parata says.
Because she is in Israel, Minister Parata will represent New Zealand at Friday’s state funeral of former President Shimon Peres, who died on Wednesday aged 93.
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