Trevor Mallard

The National-Act Government's announcement that it is to slash tens of millions of dollars from the education budget spells bad news for education quality, Labour Party education spokesman Trevor Mallard said today.

In the latest in a long line of government cuts to core services, Education Minister Anne Tolley said today she was cutting $25 million over three years, Mr Mallard said.

"As is expected from National, Mrs Tolley is attempting to disguise the cuts with weasel words such as 'reshaping' the system and 'diverting valuable resources to the front line'.

"That's rubbish, and we've heard it before from National.

"There is always a case for finding efficiencies as long as quality does not suffer as a result, but these cuts will mean less funding for research, professional development for teachers and curriculum development.

"All of these areas are vital to the ongoing quality of our schools. They provide the innovation New Zealand's education system is internationally respected for.

"If Mrs Tolley thinks there is too much fat in the system, the quickest way she could slim it down would be to hold back the $62 million she is spending to implement National Standards against the wishes of most parents, schools and experts," Trevor Mallard said.