Austin Harrison
18 Young People perform at BATS Theatre as part of one of the final Creatives in Schools Programs. (Faces Blurred for Privacy) Cred: Nina Hogg
Dear PM Luxon,
You’ve recently expressed that arts and music in schools could be “deferred” in favour of maths, and in response to letters asking you to reconsider that position- your office’s default response has been “if spending more time on numeracy and literacy means less time on the nice-to-haves, like music and arts, so be it.”. I’ve just completed, what will be, one of the last Creatives in Schools programs funded by the Ministry of Education. Here’s a summary of what we did and the outcomes of the project. I believe what we were able to do in just one term, had a marked and lasting impact on the education of the young people involved. I urge you to read it, consider it and think about the added value of arts in our education system.
You’ve recently expressed that arts and music in schools could be “deferred” in favour of maths, and in response to letters asking you to reconsider that position- your office’s default response has been “if spending more time on numeracy and literacy means less time on the nice-to-haves, like music and arts, so be it.”. I’ve just completed, what will be, one of the last Creatives in Schools programs funded by the Ministry of Education. Here’s a summary of what we did and the outcomes of the project. I believe what we were able to do in just one term, had a marked and lasting impact on the education of the young people involved. I urge you to read it, consider it and think about the added value of arts in our education system.