how to grow your own food,hunt and fish,how to live without these big multi national companys like we did for a very long time,we have now been bred to be consumers and thats it

Far too much emphasis on technology and not nearly enough on the three"Rs"! General knowledge and good spelling are virtually non existent.

Back to the basics .... concentrate on what is really needed for everyday life ...

How to love one another and not to put others down

I agree the things i used to be school never used. My school did not teach me everythings good. I hated school nothing good came from its

I would like to see them have a new topic that is believe in yourself. In life I all ways got told I was bad I do not think that this is the way to a good life people are just as hole s to me most of the time I think there needs to be help for people how have been treated badly and for people to stop putting people down life is hard enuf as it is with out all that they are just cruel words can hurt you don't have to be so mean

Education needs to have a focus on learning (and we learn best when we're having fun). At present, the focus is on "teaching", rather than learning. The one year I taught, all my kids were doing maths really well. Indeed I got "caught out" teaching all my kids - and got into real trouble because of it - because the school principal gave the kids a test and all my kids bar one (who had some real problems) did as well as the very top students in the classes two years older than them. It was all based around giving the kids fun activities where they were actually discovering the maths for themselves. I thought that was my job - to have all my kids learning - until the inspector gave me a lecture that was basically saying, well who's going to dig ditches and drive trucks if everyone excels, and how come the Maori kids are doing so well? If I'd taught maths the way it's taught in schools generally the only kids who would have done well would be the ones who are similar to me in a series of respects, such as prefer

I think it needs to be more creative - where the child reads a passage of a book. Starting off with the teacher reads one chapter then a child reads another chapter etc. Also have maths games of round the world where the teacher calls out a sum and if the student behind the student answers it correctly - then he moves onto another student if he or she don't get it then sits down - also in the younger years sorry grades there needs to be more creativity with subjects.

Life skills

l think the education department are training literate monkeys. Now a days one can't add 2 plus 2 without a calculator or spell without spell check or write a letter, which is really sad. They don't know how to survive or cope in the real world, that is why there is so much mental health issues and stress

budgeting how to fill in forms resume writing interview skills communications work skills dressing up / down to suit occasion planning events health fitness general life skills

Agree we need to go back to basic maths, spelling and sounding the alphabet. Just crazy how kids work out sums I can't help my grand-kids and when I do I get the answer so much faster than them. Need to learn how to cook basic things & sew on a button. Algebra was the most useless thing I learnt, never had cause to use it.

I think there needs to be more continuity between early childhood especially preschool and primary and then primary upwards as it is hard to unteach what has been taught. Children learn at different ages, stages and have different interests and experiences. The MoE needs to ensure quality and continuity and should invest in all areas of a child's development and learning and in its teachers.

A really good start would be teachers who actually know how to teach (and spell) and not fill kids' heads with nonsense such as Climate Change!

Very important

Some children are naturally academic, some more naturally hands-on trade related. We are told that where the less academically ones are encouraged to tell teachers and parents of their non-academic interests and have them encouraged they do well when they go on to learn the skills required to succeed in those interests - some want to be mechanics, other bricklayers, carpenters, electricians with no interest in going to university they actually do very well. There is no shame in being a Tradie, they are a vital, and in some ways mort important than many Academics, part of Society.

more of what life basics like is all about-morals, being considered/kind, financial literacy etc?

I agrre wholeheartedly with Cheryl I - Dont quite see how the indepth study of Shakespeare is going to get 90% of kids a meaningful job along with a lot of the other rubbish people actually pay money to study -ie ancient Egypt / Latin ==the list goes on

I reckon children these days have got it so easy by using technology why don’t they bring back text books pen and paper that’s how I leaned at school I came out or right there’s to much technology these days with IPads, chrome books, laptops, PlayStations kids should be torte maths English etc...

Mobile phones. I went to a garage sale where a girl of about 16 took out a phone to calculate 5 items adding up to $20??? i said how come a grown up like you needed a calculator? she told me she was only year 10 ?

Everything is so PC these days. Can't teach this or that because it may offend one person. So ridiculous. Make it too easy for kids as well. I've worked with so many people who can't do basic maths because they were allowed calculators so have no idea how to count. Not very practical when handling cash!

They should go back to basic the 3 r dont need all that other fancy stuff just need life skills

Depends on the school but public school should not have religion albeit it is optional but the kids that do not go waste time waiting for them to return. Other lessons although useless to many such as algebra, geometry etc. do make the mind work so maybe this is why they are taught. I think basics need to be bought back into the schools though. Reading the written word from a book not a machine, maths again not with calculators etc., spelling and again not using spell check which is often incorrect anyway. Yes these need to be incorporated in the studies but not completely eliminating the old ways. Basic cooking for both sexes and also how to use a vacuum, mop, duster, how to do basic sewing like hems and putting buttons back on, washing clothes and personal hygiene i.e. basic living skills. This would only involve a few lessons surely. Financial management would also be a good thing. Good manners would be another plus.

Start compulsory school earlier

How about no religious education in public schools? If they're learning cooking, they should learn things like what is bush tucker. Also no algebra but teach them how to manage finances. Saving money from young is a good start.

I hope that the child can learn the specialized academics he wants to learn. The school system may need to be changed and more refined. In addition to some basic common sense, It also gives them more choices. Maybe their talent is not in the school subjects.

You would be surprised to learn how much you actually use. Apart from reading writing and counting you learn how to interact with other people, businesses and government agencies and now it’s up to you to make the best of it...so don’t hold back...lol

Good point

cooking and budgeting need to be taught. long ago when I was at school we were taught how to cook also how to write cheques (I know we don't have them any more) and budget. kids need that more than anything. they need to know that credit cards do need to be paid, bills ect.

Go back to some basic skills like it use to be when I was at school, Reading, Writing and now called Mathematics. Most don't know how to add in their head it's all calculators nor can they count back money to you.

I'd like to see more on life skills -- I know many that graduated and can't even read a standard wall clock because everything is digital and evidentally they no longer teach "telling time on a clock". I also heard a few years back they were going to stop teaching cursive writing!

Schools are a place where children learn to become part of a community. It teaches them about how to belong and become who they are and who they are meant to be. They learn about themselves and others and how to make friends and deal with others. They learn acceptance and tolerance. They learn what their interests are, what they are good at and develop new skills and interests.

I'm gonna offend people but I'd like some teachers to be replaced. A lot don't know how to spell, most google answers and would be lost without the internet. Bring the books back, they're more reliable than the web!

Life skills like how to manage your money (budgeting, saving etc), more writing and literacy skillsEdited 06-Feb-21 09:03am

I do like your alias name, if that happened everyday we'd all be out there with our glasses raised having a jolly good time ... cheers! But more to the point "uplifting skills" would have proved very helpful!! Basically primary schools should be a launching pad, an exploration of what is available, what interests or suits individuals and develop those skills as the world needs all kinds of people with all kinds of skills. That is why it is very important to have Technical Colleges as well as Universities as we equally need our "Plumbers" as well as our "Professors" and not forgetting our Physicians, Nurses. and all other skilled and unskilled people.

More life skills, but isn’t this what parents are for

I think 'School' is the great launching pad for future generations. An opportunity to really find a favourite subject and make something of it as a career pursuit. Whatever the subject is appealing to the student, whether it's Maths, English, Science, or Arts/History/Geography/Social Science/Business and Economics, or PE/Sports, the subject is only the starting point which leads or expands to a specific area of studies and career. I think there are too many career options in the jobs market, to be able to fit them all in a student's School years. Hence, the student can enrol into further studies which is more advanced - Tertiary Education at College/University, etc. Primary and Secondary being the School years. However, they must get good enough results to enrol into higher studies. It's a competitive World out there, in the jobs market, where the student having completed some level of studies must compete with others and produce professional results! A job is indeed - making a living (a lot of life skills)!Edited 06-Feb-21 07:02am

all children should learn there are things you use everyday which you learnt at school or from family counting reading spelling

Most of the secondary subjects which are completely useless for anything let alone preparing you for further education or being employed. They might teach you how to get a benefit of some kind I don’t actually know that but they are all experts in how to claim for everything. Get rid of the obvious knowledge base regarding claiming free anything rather than work for a living and then make sure the young people get an education on how to make do and work for the finer things in life Life skills on how to live within a strict budget stay with you for all your life and when you have to work hard learn the hard way you will always remember these skills and can put them in place immediately a crisis happens.

Throw away the computers & go back to basics

The main purpose of schooling should be to teach children how to learn. Problem-solving skills learned at school will give them the tools to learn whatever they need to later in life.

the problem is not with children's education - the problem is with parents - parents have kids - BUT PARENTS REFUSE TO BECOME ROLE-MODELS FOR THEIR CHILDREN IN A POSITIVE MANNER - and - society let parents get away with NOT doing their job (raising their children to be productive members (with a conscience) of society) - which is not the job of schools, religion, sports, etc.

Sometimes I just LOVE rewardia...thanks guys for being there...

Not just life skills, although essential, but something like they have in the U.S. where they take classes to learn to drive. It would save a lot of lives

A child's education is the most important part of their life and should be treated as such, at school and at home.

The most important thing is that they have good communication skills...and comprehension too....in that way, when they are older, they will be able ask structured questions that make sense, and understand what others are saying to them