Todd Talks With Todd Muller National MP

While I was often unwell as a child, missing out on a lot of school and sports, I was fortunate to learn the joy of books.

I loved being able to summon the world to my sick bed, to enjoy stories of other countries, other people, and their adventures. I still love to read, although these days the material is more work-related and less thrilling.

I was not so fond of maths so I had to work extra hard to succeed at long division and times tables, with the full force of my parents and teachers ensuring that I applied myself and did the work.

Education has the power to change lives and it's vital this generation of children gains the skills and knowledge to go on to further education and successful careers. It is unacceptable that two-thirds of secondary students failed to meet minimum standards in reading, writing and maths.

National's ‘Teaching the Basics Brilliantly' policy acknowledges the lost skills of reading, writing and maths for many young people. A National government will rewrite the primary and intermediate curriculum to ensure children are given the time to master these basic skills while young, so that they are set up for life with this key knowledge.

Teachers will be given better tools and training on how to teach the basics to our children. There will be a target of 80 per cent of Year 8 students being at or above the expected curriculum level for their age in reading writing, maths and science by 2030 – as opposed to only 45 per cent currently for maths, and 35 per cent for writing.

If New Zealand is to have internationally competitive incomes and living standards, we need a world-class education system that starts with teaching the basics brilliantly.